Dwarfism is defined as a child whose height is less than two standard deviations (-2SD, the standard line is called SD) from the average height of children of the same sex, age, and race, and whose growth rate is less than 5 cm per year.
If it is clear that your child has dwarfism and is considered to have growth hormone deficiency or idiopathic dwarfism, growth hormone can be used. But at what age is it appropriate for a child to use growth hormone?
The most appropriate age is around 5 years old. This is because at this age, the weight is small and the dose is small, which is economical; the bones have more room to grow and the effect is more obvious. Some children grow 4-5cm per year before treatment, and some children can grow about 12cm after using it. Some parents think that it is good for their children to take a shot during puberty, reasoning that they are already growing during puberty, so they can grow even taller with some growth hormone. However, if they do so, the child’s weight will be heavier, the amount of medication will be greater, the cost will be greater, and more importantly, the child’s bones will have less room to grow. Let’s say a 5 year old child grows 5cm naturally, but the first year after using it can grow up to 12cm, so it will increase by 7cm; at puberty, the natural growth is 8cm per year, but after using it, it is hard to grow up to 15cm, it can grow 12cm which is also a good effect, the increase of height value is small. What’s more, it takes nearly 10 years from the age of 5 to epiphyseal closure, and only 3 to 5 years from puberty to epiphyseal closure.
Therefore, the use of time from the age of 5 to 14 years old, the earlier the better if you want to choose.