Lionel Messi in India: What Is Growth Hormone Deficiency, the Condition Diagnosed in His Childhood?

Lionel Messi is in India for a highly anticipated GOAT Tour, a series of programmes he is set to attend in Kolkata. While his three days in the country are jam-packed, did you know that as a child, the football

legend was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency, which impacted his growth. Detected when he was just 11, the condition is caused by insufficient amounts of growth hormone in the body, which leads to impaired growth and development. What is more unbelievable is that the 38-year-old iconic player was injected with growth hormones in his leg each night when he was just 12 years old. Despite all odds, the Argentine was signed by FC Barcelona at 13, who also sponsored his medical treatment.

What is Growth Hormone Deficiency?

Growth hormone deficiency, or GHD, is a rare condition in which your pituitary gland does not release enough growth hormone, affecting infants, children, and even adults. Children with GHD are shorter than expected with normal body proportions. According to experts, hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, muscles, and other tissues. These signals tell your body what to do and when to do it. Your pituitary gland is a small, pea-sized endocrine gland that is located at the base of your brain below your hypothalamus. It is made of two lobes - the anterior or the front lobe and the posterior, or the back lobe. Your anterior lobe makes GH. It releases eight hormones in total. People with growth hormone deficiency may have hypopituitarism and have a deficiency in other pituitary hormones, which include:

• Antidiuretic hormone
• Follicle-stimulating hormone
• Luteinizing hormone
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone
• Adrenocorticotrophic hormone

What does the growth hormone do?

The growth hormone acts on many parts of the body to promote growth in children. It is essential for normal growth, muscle and bone strength, and distribution of body fat. Once the growth plates in your bones become fused, they no longer increase height, but your body still needs them. Doctors say once you have finished growing, the hormone would help to maintain normal body structure and metabolism, which includes helping to keep your blood glucose levels within a healthy range. If your body doesn’t have enough growth hormone, whether as an infant, child, or adult, it can greatly affect your body, albeit in different ways depending on your age. In infants and children, GHD prevents normal growth. In adults, it causes a variety of issues, including increased body fat and elevated blood sugar levels.

Signs and symptoms of GHD in children

Since GHD in infants and children results in poor growth, the main sign is slow height growth each year after a child's third birthday, meaning they grow less than about 1.4 inches in height a year. Other symptoms include:

• A younger-looking face than what’s expected for their age
• Impaired hair and nail growth
• Delayed tooth development
• Delayed puberty
• Low blood sugar levels
• A very small penis in male newborns