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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Protrusion Of Chest Bones As The Person Grows?

Hi My child s (13 yrs old boy) chest bone (sternum) sticks out to the degree that when people see his chest they ask what the problem is and stare. It does not cause any pain and I can not remember it being like this when he was younger. It bothers him and it seems to be getting worse as he gets older. Any suggestions please....will it get any better on its own and will it cause a problem?
Wed, 25 Feb 2015
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
thank you for posting your query in healthcaremagic.com....

well your child's disorder is known as pectus carinatum or pigeon chest....
see when all bones grow during growth spurt or adolescence, then the sternum and ribs can grow more to cause this deformity....sometimes, diseases like marfans, noonans, turner, osteogenesis imperfecta etc can be associated...
generally it does not cause any symptoms except the protrusion.....and generally stays the same following growth spurt...but some severe cases can develop fatigue and respiratory distress....
treatment is required only in severe cases...
options are external braces and surgery...

hope this was useful...
contact me for any further queries.....
regards
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What Causes Protrusion Of Chest Bones As The Person Grows?

thank you for posting your query in healthcaremagic.com.... well your child s disorder is known as pectus carinatum or pigeon chest.... see when all bones grow during growth spurt or adolescence, then the sternum and ribs can grow more to cause this deformity....sometimes, diseases like marfans, noonans, turner, osteogenesis imperfecta etc can be associated... generally it does not cause any symptoms except the protrusion.....and generally stays the same following growth spurt...but some severe cases can develop fatigue and respiratory distress.... treatment is required only in severe cases... options are external braces and surgery... hope this was useful... contact me for any further queries..... regards