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List of All Topics
Growth Disorders
Does your child seem much shorter - or much taller - than other kids his or her age? It could be normal, or it could be a sign of a problem. Very slow or very fast growth can sometimes signal a gland problem or disease.
The pituitary gland makes growth hormone, which stimulates the growth of bone and other tissues. Children who have too little of it may be very short. Treatment with growth hormone can stimulate growth.
People can also have too much growth hormone. Usually the cause is a pituitary gland tumor, which is not cancer. Too much growth hormone can cause gigantism in children, where their bones and their body grow too much. In adults, it can cause acromegaly, which makes the hands, feet and face larger than normal. Possible treatments include surgery to remove the tumor, medicines and radiation therapy.
Underlying Conditions of Growth Abnormalities:
It is often said that maintaining a normal growth pattern is a good indicator of a child's overall good health. Failure to grow at least 2 1/2 inches each year can be natures early warning sign that something underlying (unseen) is abnormal and needs medical evaluation. Growth is influenced by many factors such as heredity, genetic or congenital, illness and medications, nutrition, hormones, and psychosocial environment. Measurements of growth-height and weight - are a very inexpensive service that should be offered by all health care providers rendering care to children. Additionally it is also important that these be done correctly and included as a part of sick visits as well as "well child" check-ups.
Normal height growth rates vary according to age. Children during the first year of life should grow 7-10 inches. During the second year growth slows to an average of 5 inches /year. During the third year growth averages 3 inches/year. From age 4 years until puberty, growth should be at least 2 inches/year. Pubertal changes prompt a growth spurt of 2 ½ -4 ½ inches/year for girls usually starting by 10 years. However, boys experience both puberty and this growth spurt later - usually starting by 12 years and averaging 3 - 5 inches/year. After pubertal changes are completed and bone ends fuse, no further growth is possible
Causes of Poor Growth
Heredity
Children are a reflection of their parents growth patterns and height. Parents who were late bloomers and experienced slow growth and late pubertal development may see the same pattern in their children. The final height these children achieve is usually normal. Parents who have short stature usually have children whose adult height potential is in the shorter range. Conversely tall parents usually have tall children. As a general rule, a child’s potential adult height ranges between the average of the parents heights toward that of the parent who is the same sex as the child.
Congenital
Congenital (those present at birth) causes for growth failure include intrauterine growth retardation, skeletal abnormalities and chromosome changes. Intrauterine growth retardation may result from maternal infections, smoking or alcohol/drug use while pregnant. Skeletal causes, such as short limbed dwarfism, result from abnormal production of new bone and cartilage. These children usually have unusual trunk /limb proportions. Chromosome variations causing short stature can include Turner syndrome in girls and Down’s syndrome.
Illnesses and Medications
Conditions which are considered chronic can reduce growth because they interfere with the body’s ability to use nutrients properly. Diseases which involve the kidneys, digestive tract, heart or lungs are examples of such conditions that may influence growth. Some medications that are used in large doses or for long periods of time may affect growth. If you are concerned about the effects of medications on a regular basis, you should discuss this with the physician who prescribed them.
Nutrition
Nutritional problems can influence growth in two ways. More commonly the problem is a poor diet with inadequate nutrients, not enough calories or the wrong food groups. Secondly, diseases that interfere with the absorption of food from the bowel will prevent the body from using those nutrients for growth. In these cases symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, excessive gas, diarrhea or constipation, poor weight gain or being underweight for height. After diagnosis, these problems usually improve with a special diet and or medications. With proper correction of these disorders, growth will also improve.
Hormones
Hormones are produced in several glands in the body. After being released from the glands into the blood, the hormones have their efffects on many different locations. The most common ones that affect growth are discussed next.
What Can You Do?
All children should have records of growth kept with measurements every 3-6 months for infants and yearly for children over 2 years of age. This is usually done at your child’s doctor’s office but you can keep your own records at home.
Information obtained from National Institute of Health