`Small' problem, big cure is Atheeq's lot

BANGALORE: One in 20,000 children suffers from Isolated Growth Hormone Deficiency. In ordinary parlance, dwarfism. A condition which entails gigantic difficulties, especially in India.
Out of every 10 diagnosed with the problem, earlier or later in India, few can afford treatment. The cost is prohibitive and stretches over years. Abroad, all children with the deficiency are able to reach their genetically determined height because of the medical insurance coverage.
Atheeq-ur-Rahman, son of a KSRTC driver, is undergoing treatment at the M.S.Ramaiah Medical College Hospital for this rare deficiency. After a tour of various hospitals, the child was diagnosed with the problem at 10 years. His height was 119 cm, when it should have been 140 cm. His weight was 28.5 kg, when it ought to have been 35 kg, and the bone age of this 11-year-old was 8.6 years. With the initiation of treatment on November 11, 2001, his height is now 123.5 cm and weight is 36 kg.
``He has gained 4.5 cm in height and 7.5 kg in weight with the help of growth hormone treatment,'''' says Dr K.M. Prasanna Kumar, professor and head, department of endocrinology, M.S. Ramaiah Hospital. Atheeq needs growth hormones for another three years, and treatment costs Rs 25,000 per month.
Growth hormone treatment, introduced in 1920, has been used by doctors in India since 1985. ``The safety efficacy has been tested and elaborate tests are done for a year before it is administered to patients," says Dr Kumar.
Says Atheeq''s mother, ``We discovered he had a problem when his breasts started growing like that of a woman and his genitalia looked like a one-year-old''s. Sometimes, he passes blood with urine. Otherwise he eats and studies well.''''
The height up to which a person can grow is determined genetically. In Atheeq''s case, it is 5 feet 5 inches. Without growth hormones, he may manage to reach 4 feet 2 inches. Dr Prasanna Kumar says there are cases where children are resistant to growth hormones because of defects in the receptors, in which case this treatment does not help. He warns people against fake hormone treatment sold across the counter. ``One cannot grow beyond one''s genetic potential. And the genetic potential is not reached in cases of disease and deficiency.''''
Contributions can be sent to Atheeq-ur-Rahman, Hospital No. 25863, MS Ramaiah Medical College Hospital, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, MSRIT Post, Bangalore-54.