Recently, Liu Xiaoying, director of the Department of Pediatrics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has seen several obese children, who not only weigh higher than their peers, but also grow taller than their peers.
Director Liu pointed out that this is not a good thing.
As soon as I did an examination, I found that their bone age was advanced, some were one year earlier, and some were even more than two years earlier.
If you don't pay attention to it, this kind of child will have great problems in the future, and there are three types of problems that are more common:
01
Affects the final height
Epidemiology shows that the prevalence of precocious puberty in overweight and obese girls is about 76%, while the incidence of precocious puberty in overweight and obese boys is about 8%, suggesting that the occurrence of overweight and obesity in children is highly correlated with the increase in the prevalence of precocious puberty.
This means that obesity will also exert greater pressure on the bones and muscular system, which can easily cause damage to joints, bones and muscles, such as arched legs and flat feet.
02
Affects children's physical and mental health
Obese children often feel inferior, which affects personality development. In life, possible
03
Increased risk of disease
Studies have shown that obese children have a 3.3 to 3.9 times higher risk of high blood pressure, 2.6 to 4.4 times higher risk of high triglycerides, and 3.2 to 5.8 times higher risk of low HDL cholesterol than normal-weight children.
What kind of child is considered obese?
The current internationally accepted diagnostic criteria for childhood obesity are mainly based on body mass index (BMI)
For example, a 7-year-old boy with a height of 1.28m and a weight of 30kg, BMI = 30÷1.28÷1.28 = 18.3 (kg/㎡),
Parents should pay attention to their children's weight problems and intervene early to avoid the development of obesity. Parents who are concerned about their child's risk of being overweight may wish to check the table below to see if their child's BMI is exceeded.
If you are overweight, it is recommended to go to the nearest hospital for a check-up.
Director Liu received the prescription
In July last year, Director Liu received a 10-year-old patient, Mao Xiaolei (pseudonym). Parents complained that the child's weight had increased rapidly in the past year, with a height of 145 cm and a weight of 60 kg. In life, he has a strong appetite and prefers high-calorie foods such as fried and sweets, but his mobility is reduced and he is easily fatigued.
The school's physical examination found that the bone age was about 1 year ahead, and he was worried about affecting the child's growth and development and future height, so he came to Director Liu, hoping to help the child grow more and lose weight.
After that, Director Liu asked about the sleep and urine and bowel conditions, and the parents said that the child did not sleep well at night, woke up easily, had night sweats from time to time, had dry stools, and had yellow urine.
After understanding the general situation, Director Liu began to check the body.
The director pointed out that due to poor diet, the spleen and stomach are lost, phlegm and dampness are endogenous, blocking the qi and leading to weight gain; If the stomach is hot, it will eliminate hunger and hyperappetite.
In terms of conditioning, it clears away heat and dissolves phlegm, strengthens the spleen and stomach, and regulates qi.
The whole formula group is composed of Banxia, Skullcap, Poria cocos, tangerine peel, hawthorn, malt, Zexiao, lotus leaf and other traditional Chinese medicines.
Director Liu also reminded parents,
After a month of conditioning, the patient lost weight, had a normal appetite, improved sleep at night, had normal stools, and had clear urine.
Therefore, the original prescription was continued to be added or subtracted, and the patient's parents were instructed to continue to supervise the diet and exercise. At the follow-up visit three months later, the patient's weight was back in the normal range.
Three types of children are recommended to check bone age
Director Liu pointed out that if the child's height grows too fast or too slowly, and is much worse than his peers, then the bone age should be measured. If a child's secondary sexual characteristics (e.g., testicular development before age 9 in boys and breast development before age 7.5 in girls) appear too early, bone age should also be measured. If your child suddenly becomes very fat, especially if his muscles start to harden, it may also be a sign of an earlier bone age.
In short, parents should pay close attention to their children's growth and development, identify problems in time and intervene. At the same time, maintaining good lifestyle habits and dietary structure is also an important measure to prevent obesity and early bone age.