Four-year-old Tim is extremely small for his age, and he shows signs of intellectual impairment. His hair is thinning and his skin is dry. His parents have read about cretinism and pituitary dwarfism as possible diagnoses for their son and have taken him to the pediatrician for tests to be run. Which diagnosis do you think is correct? Explain why
What will be an ideal response?
The likely diagnosis is cretinism. Hyposecretion of the thyroid hormone in early childhood leads to cretinism. Cretinism results in dwarfism and intellectual impairment. Cretinism also causes the hair to be scanty and the skin to be dry. It is unlikely Tim suffers from pituitary dwarfism. Pituitary dwarfism results from hyposecretion of growth hormone in children but does not cause the other symptoms listed.
You might also like to view...
A group of girls at a middle school are all suffering from anorexia nervosa. One girl's counselor tells her that it is a serious illness, from which 15 to 21 percent of sufferers die. The counselor is correct.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
Which of the following structures has the active sites to which the heads of the thick filaments will bind?
A. Actin B. Troponin C. Tropomyosin D. Myosin E. Sarcoplasm
The major determinant of the resting potential of all cells is
A) K+ concentration inside cells. B) Ca2+ concentration in the blood and interstitial fluid. C) Na+ concentration in the blood and interstitial fluid. D) K+ gradient between the blood and interstitial fluid. E) Na+ concentration inside cells.
The three types of cones are
a. black, red, and white. b. blue, green, and red. c. blue, green, and white. d. green, orange, and yellow. e. orange, yellow, and white.