Children’s height growth is closely related to genetics, endocrine, nutrition, exercise, environment and sleep. Children of different sexes and ages have different height standards, and a height that is 2 standard deviations (equivalent to the third percentile) below the normal average height of the same sex and age is often called short stature. In short, a child is considered to have abnormal height growth if his or her annual height growth rate is less than the following: less than 7 cm below age 2, less than 5 cm from age 4 1/2 to puberty, and less than 6 cm at puberty.
Abnormal height growth, or short stature, can be treated, but it is important to take the time to do so. Generally speaking, if the bone age of a girl is over 15 years old, and if the bone age of a boy is over 17 years old, most of the child’s epiphyses have closed by then, and the chance of growing taller is very small, so many children miss the best treatment period.
The treatment of children with short stature depends on the cause of their condition. There are many factors that lead to short stature, many of which interact with each other, and there are also many diseases that lead to short stature whose mechanisms are not yet clear. Common causes include familial or idiopathic short stature, delayed somatic puberty, malnutrition including rickets, slow systemic diseases, precocious puberty, pituitary abnormalities, growth hormone defects, and hypothyroidism.
As long as the cause is detected early and given appropriate treatment, the child can obtain better catch-up growth and can regain normal height. If a child is not tall enough, he or she should seek medical attention in time. For the treatment of short children, the only nationally approved drug is recombinant human growth hormone, but prescription drugs are not available in pharmacies, and must be prescribed by the doctor according to the situation after examination in a regular hospital. All major hospitals should have it, so you can check it out for your child first.
In addition, we should pay attention to the following in our daily life: a. Balanced nutrition Adequate and reasonable deployment of nutrients can make the best use of growth potential.
The meat and vegetables with reasonable meals. Protein is the basic substance of the human body, animal food such as eggs, meat, fish, dairy contains a complete range of essential amino acids, high nutritional value; beans, peanuts, vegetables and animal food with, can further improve the nutritional value of protein, but also to complement the shortcomings. Calcium and phosphorus are the main components of bones, milk, beans, shrimp, bone broth, etc. rich in calcium; dairy, meat, beans, grains and cereals contain more phosphorus.
Trace elements are necessary for the physiological functions of the body, such as iron, zinc, copper, iodine selenium, etc.. Such foods are: animal liver, meat, fish, clams, mussels, oysters, kelp, nori, cereals and beans. Food should be consumed in appropriate amounts and in a balanced manner to avoid partial diet.
Second, sufficient sleep Sleep time should be guaranteed 8-10 hours. Growth hormone is secreted 45-90 minutes after falling asleep at night (deep sleep), so sufficient sleep helps height growth and high growth rate during puberty.
Sunlight Sunlight helps children’s growth and development. Therefore, children should be given more time for outdoor activities to promote their growth and development. May to June is the “golden time” for children to grow taller. Especially in May, children grow fastest, reaching an average of 7.3 mm.
Four, appropriate exercise children too early strenuous exercise will also affect the growth of height. Because too much physical exertion will affect the supply of nutrients to bones and muscles, and also inhibit the secretion of growth hormone. Exercises that are good for growth include relaxing, free stretching and open programs, such as swimming, dancing, badminton, table tennis, bar, etc. Exercises that are not conducive to growth include weight-bearing, contraction and compression exercises, such as weightlifting, dumbbell lifting, rallying, wrestling, long-distance running, etc.
In conclusion, the growth and development of children is a regular, continuous and stage-by-stage process. The first rapid growth period from birth to 3 years old, the younger the age the faster the growth, such as the first year can grow about 25 cm tall, the second year can grow about 10 cm tall; 3 years old to before puberty is a stable growth period, the period plays an important role in the final height of the person, about 5 to 7 cm per year growth; puberty growth rate and accelerated, there is a second growth peak, about 8 to 10 cm tall per year.
But human growth is time-limited, generally after puberty once the epiphysis closes, height will stop growing, the height of the body is basically fixed, any method can not make it grow taller again. Early diagnosis and treatment are decisive for the final height of children with dwarfism, and the earlier the effect, the better.