Misunderstanding of Healthy Children, Steroids are Often Used as a Shortcut to Gaining Weight

Children's health can be seen from the growth and development that fits the graph properly. (Unsplash)

JAKARTA – Steroids have several benefits if given according to the indications, including to children. However, the use of steroids without a doctor's recommendation can be dangerous because they are included in the hard drug class.

The case of the misuse of steroid drugs as a child's appetite has been a topic of conversation lately, following a viral story in Surabaya.

A babysitter with the initials NR in Surabaya, East Java, was caught giving hard drugs in the form of steroids to a two-year-old toddler (EL) who was being cared for. After a year, the nanny's actions were discovered by the mother (LK) and then reported it to the police.

"Those are dexamethasone and pronicy drugs. Hard drugs for adults. What would happen if they were given to a baby," said the mother.

A babysitter in Surabaya was caught giving steroids to a toddler for a year. (Ist)

This viral case has made the Chairman of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) doctor Piprim Basara Yanuarso, SpA(K) also speak up. Reflecting on the incident in Surabaya, he hopes that similar incidents will not happen again because giving steroid drugs without a doctor's prescription can have fatal consequences.

"In fact, it can cause long-term complications. It is thought that the child is healthy when in fact it is not," said Piprim in an online media discussion on Thursday, October 17, 2024.

About Steroids

Steroids are drugs that are widely used as anti-inflammatories, and also as hormone replacements in children who cannot produce the hormone cortisol.

Steroids resemble the hormone cortisol produced by the adrenal glands (renal glands). This cortisol is needed by the body to maintain blood sugar, regulate blood pressure, and help overcome infections.

Basically, steroids have benefits if used according to medical conditions that do require steroid treatment, as stated by the Head of the IDAI Endocrine Coordination Work Unit (UKK) DR Dr Agustini Utari, SpA (K). Certain medical conditions that require this drug include children who do not have the hormone cortisol since birth, severe allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and post-organ transplant treatment.

"However, long-term use and high doses can cause serious side effects, such as weight gain, mood swings, and sleep disorders," said Agustini.

"This is a hard drug, so it is labeled 'K'. This drug must be prescribed by a doctor. Its use must be in accordance with medical consultation," added the woman who is familiarly called Titut.

Doctor Titut admitted that in her daily practice, she had found several cases of steroid abuse. Giving steroids to children was not only done by caregivers, but also by the parents themselves.

The reason is, steroids are used as weight gainers to make children look fat. Doctor Titut did not deny that the use of steroids can increase a child's weight rapidly, but it does not indicate health at all because it is very risky.

"Their cheeks look chubby (moon face). Actually there is a buildup of fluid and salt there. So, actually it is not healthy fat if (consumption of) steroids. Only the outward appearance is visible, but inside it is problematic," said Agustini.

Not only that, the long-term effects of steroids on children will interfere with or inhibit growth plates. As a result, bones cannot grow longer so that there is an obstacle to the child's growth.

"The child will look fat but short, because he cannot grow if given steroids for a long period of time," said Agustini.

Giving steroids in high doses over a long period of time can also suppress the immune system, as a result the child will experience infections more often.

The False Perception That Fat Means Healthy

In the case in Surabaya, the administration of steroids was intended to increase the child's weight and appetite. The victim's mother admitted that her child's weight had drastically increased to 19.5 kg even though he was only 2 years and 3 months old.

As a result of the administration of steroids for one year, the child experienced health problems and disorders in his growth hormones.

The many adults who dare to give steroids cannot be separated from the assumption in society that healthy children must be fat.

Agustini reminded us that a fat body is not an indicator of a healthy condition in children. During a child's growth and development, a more important indicator is adequate good nutritional intake. Therefore, parents or caregivers should not only focus on monitoring the development of the child's weight but also the child's height.

She agreed that feeding children is not always easy for parents to do. If a child has a difficult eating behavior, parents do not need to worry too much and must find the best way to create a more enjoyable eating atmosphere, not by abusing steroid drugs to increase appetite.

According to Agustini, using steroids to increase a child's weight is much more dangerous than seeing a thin child.

Parents should find the best way to create a more enjoyable mealtime atmosphere. (Unsplash)

"Because if we use this steroid, we can see the long-term effects are many. Skinny children are usually a fear for parents. But if you use steroids, the child will get shorter and the fat is just fat that looks fat," said Agustini.

On the same occasion, IDAI Chair Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, SpA(K) emphasized the importance of parents understanding the growth and development of children, especially in the context of feeding.

He did not deny that many parents are looking for instant solutions to their children's weight problems, without understanding the natural process of growth.

"Parents often feel anxious when comparing their child's weight with other children, assuming that a fat child is a healthy child. In fact, a child's health should be measured based on a growth chart that includes weight and height," he said.

In fact, according to him, a child's health can be seen from the growth and development that is in accordance with the chart, not just based on body size or fat.