Can chronic rhinitis affect a child's height growth?
Jun 06, 2023
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Xu Gang
Introduction
In general, chronic rhinitis may affect a child's growth in height. Rhinitis can cause nasal congestion, leading to mouth breathing during sleep, which may trigger obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome. Due to difficulty entering deep sleep and frequent awakenings at night, sleep fragmentation and disrupted sleep architecture may occur, resulting in daytime symptoms such as excessive sleepiness, dizziness, and fatigue.
In general, chronic rhinitis may affect a child's height growth. The specific analysis is as follows:
Rhinitis can cause nasal congestion, leading to mouth breathing during sleep, which may trigger sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome. Because it is difficult to enter deep sleep at night and frequent awakenings occur, sleep fragmentation and disrupted sleep architecture may result, causing symptoms such as daytime drowsiness, dizziness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and lethargy. Over time, this may lead to cognitive impairment and endocrine dysfunction. Children’s height growth depends on normal secretion of growth hormone, which increases after falling asleep at night and is closely related to sleep depth—reaching its peak during deep sleep. Therefore, when rhinitis leads to sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome, the duration of deep sleep decreases, reducing growth hormone secretion and ultimately resulting in delayed development and impaired height growth.
When a child's height is明显 below the normal standard for their age group or when rhinitis symptoms are significant and persistent, timely medical evaluation is recommended. After comprehensive examination, accurate diagnosis, and assessment of disease severity, treatment should be carried out according to medical advice.
