Short stature; Idiopathic short stature; Non-growth hormone deficient short stature
Short people without growth hormone deficiency include people, whose height is significantly below the average height for their age and sex, but who do not have growth hormone deficiency. This condition is also known as idiopathic short stature or constitutional stunting..
The average height of children depends on age and sex. Children with short stature without growth hormone deficiency, usually, shorter, than their peers, but still growing and developing normally.
There are many reasons, why is your child short.
In most cases, there is no medical reason for short stature..
Sometimes short stature can be a symptom of a disease..
Diseases of the bones or skeleton, such as:
Long-term (chronic) disease, such as:
Genetic disorders, such as:
Other causes include:
This list does not include all possible causes of short stature..
The main sign of short stature without growth hormone deficiency is height, which is well below the average for age and gender. However, often other symptoms, related disease, no.
If you are concerned about, that your child may be short, you should contact your child's pediatrician. The pediatrician can evaluate your child's growth and decide, whether additional tests or referral to a specialist are needed.
You should also contact your child's pediatrician, if your child has any symptoms, that bother you.
Your doctor, probably, ask you questions about your child's medical history and growth pattern. Some questions, that your doctor may ask, include:
Diagnosis of short stature without growth hormone deficiency is usually based on the child's height and growth pattern.. The pediatrician may also perform blood tests or x-rays., to rule out other conditions, which may affect growth.
If your child is diagnosed with short stature, your doctor may refer you to an endocrinologist for further evaluation and treatment.
Treatment for short stature without growth hormone deficiency depends on the underlying cause of the condition. In many cases no treatment is required, as children naturally increase in height as they get older.
If the child's short stature is associated with a disease, its treatment can improve growth. For Example, if the child has hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone replacement therapy may help improve his growth.
If your child has no or low levels of growth hormone , your doctor can discuss treatment with growth hormone injections.
Most children have normal growth hormone levels and do not need growth hormone injections.. If your child is a boy with short stature and delayed puberty, your doctor can discuss with you the use of testosterone injections to promote growth. But it is unlikely to increase the growth of an adult.
There are several things, what you can do at home, to support your child's growth and development:
Your child's short stature can affect their self-esteem.
There is no guaranteed way to prevent short stature in a child., since many cases are linked to genetic factors. However, there are a few things, which you can do, to support your child's growth and development:
Short stature without growth hormone deficiency is a condition, that people suffer, whose height is well below average for their age and gender, but who do not have growth hormone deficiency. The cause of this condition is often unknown, but may be related to genetic factors, slow bone age, chronic diseases, poor diet or endocrine disorders. Treatment depends on the underlying cause of the condition, but may include growth hormone therapy, treatment of underlying diseases or no treatment at all. You can support your child's growth and development, giving him enough food, physical activity, sleep and minimizing family stress.
Cooke D.W., DiVall SA, Radovick S. Normal and aberrant growth in children. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 25.
Cuttler L, Misra M, Koontz M. Somatic growth and maturation. In: Jameson JL, The Great LJ, the Circles DM, et al, eds. Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 22.
escobar or, Viswanathan P, Witchel SF. Pediatric endocrinology. In: Kids BJ, McIntire SC, Nowalk AJ, eds. Zitelli and Davis’ Atlas of Pediatric Physical Diagnosis. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 9.
Marcdante KJ, Kliegman RM. Short stature. In: Marcdante KJ, Kliegman RM, eds. Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 173.
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