The growth process is one of the most impressive things about childhood. Healthy children grow at a certain pace during childhood, with faster growth during the child's first two years and during the period of sexual maturity. At the end of the maturation period, the child reaches his or her final height as an adult and the growth process stops.
There are many factors involved in growth: genetic, in-utero, environmental, and the child's nutrition and general health.
In fact, normal growth can serve as a benchmark for the child's overall health. It is no coincidence that height benchmarks in different populations often serve as a sign of the socio-economic state of the particular population.
Some chronic diseases are characterized by growth disorders as a first and only symptom, a long time before any other symptoms appear. In most chronic diseases the growth problem is a result of the disease itself but is other cases we discover hormonal problems and treat them accordingly.
Remember that genetics has a major effect on the growth process. Parents of average height will have average height children and not children who are either very short or very tall. That said, if there is a significant difference between the parents' heights and the heights of their children, it is worth checking.
Note: With the scientific progress in this field and the development of innovative treatments, if the parents are extremely short and the child seems to be following in their footsteps, it is recommended to go for an examination. In some cases it is possible to improve the child's growth potential using techniques that were not available when the parents were younger.
Every child has his or her own growth pace, hence the importance of periodical height and weight measuring within the framework of the early childhood clinics. Therefore, if a child deviates from his or her regular growth rate/ growth curve, it is worth getting a check-up.
Generally speaking, a child grows approximately 5cm a year and so last season's clothes should look a little smaller on him or her. If your child's trousers do not look smaller every season, it is worthwhile checking on his growth development.
It is crucial to identify and treat any growth problems as early as possible. By age 12/13, children have done most of their growing and any treatment at this stage will have relatively limited effect.
Hormonal reasons for stunted growth include:
- Lack of growth hormone
- Resistance to growth hormone
- Thyroid function disorders
- Sexual development disorders
A lack of growth hormone appears in 1 of every 3,500 children. Sometimes it is accompanied by other hormonal disorders. The treatment is to give daily intravenous injections of the hormone. The growth hormone is genetically engineered and has been in use for over 30 years. Treatment is very safe and there are no side effects. Some children suffer from headaches which will usually disappear when the dosage is reduced.
To determine whether the child lacks growth hormone, two hormonal tests are conducted and government committee approval is necessary. In recent years there has been a lot of research done on children who do not suffer from a lack of growth hormone yet do not grow as expected. In some of these children they found defects in the growth hormone’s intra-cell process and today we can treat some of these cases with another hormone called IGF-1, which manages to bring about a height improvement in some cases. This treatment is in the drugs basket with specific guidelines.
If you suspect that your child is not growing as he or she should, please contact the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic at Shaare Zedek.
Appointments: 02-655599 or 02-6555307
There is a charge (or bring a guarantee from your Kupat Holim)