The global health community marks the Growth Awareness Day as a part of the International Children's Growth Awareness Week every year in September. (http://icosep.org/) Paediatric endocrinology specialists from UMHAT “St. Marina" and Medical University-Varna have been working actively over the past 15 years to lower the age of diagnosis and treatment for children with growth disorders. In addition to developing their expertise and capabilities for diagnosis and treatment in the field of short and tall (precocious) growth, they conduct active campaigns to raise awareness in the society. All campaigns are supported by the Varna Paediatric Endocrine Society and are promoted by ICOSEP and MAGIC Foundation. “The results are visible on a national scale – increasingly earlier diagnosis (under 6 years of age) and timely treatment of children with growth disorders. Access to genetic testing remains a challenge, on which the efforts of doctors and health authorities are focused. The Municipality of Varna covers the costs for patients with rare diseases after referral by experts until these tests become a part of the healthcare system," explains Prof. Dr. Violeta Yotova – Head of the Department of Paediatrics at UMHAT “St. Marina"-Varna and Vice–Rector for Science and Research at MU-Varna.
The aim of the campaign, organized by the International Coalition of Organizations Supporting Endocrine Patients (ICOSEP), is to draw attention to the critical importance of monitoring growth in children as a key indicator of children's health and a determining factor for the health status of people in adulthood.
Deviations in the growth process should not be viewed solely as an aesthetic problem, as they can often be an early sign of a serious illness. For this reason, the level of awareness, both among parents and among medical professionals, is of utmost importance, especially in smaller settlements where access to a paediatric endocrinologist is difficult. The time for growth is limited and irreversible, therefore, early diagnosis is crucial for the future of every child.
