What is the endocrine system of the human body? What are its main functions? The main function of the endocrine system is to regulate the growth, development, metabolism and reproduction of the entire body. The human endocrine system plays an important role in the growth and development of children and adolescents, among which the development of pituitary gland, adrenal glands, thyroid gland, thymus and gonads is particularly important. The pituitary gland is well developed at birth and grows most rapidly and is more active during the first year of life and adolescence. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone, which is the most important hormone for growth promotion. The adrenal cortex secretes glucocorticoids and saline corticoids that sustain human survival and water and salt metabolism, and it secretes androgens that are associated with the initiation of sexual development. The thyroid gland is formed at birth and the thyroxine it secretes can have a wide range of effects on the nervous system, bone growth and development, ossification processes, dental growth, facial appearance and body proportions of the child. What factors are associated with a child’s height and growth rate? There are many factors that affect height, such as genetics, nutrition, sports, environment, living habits, race, endocrine, early and late sexual maturity (those who mature early are shorter than those who mature late by an average of about 5 cm), marriage between close and distant relatives, plain health, medical progress, etc. How can I predict the height of my child? There are many factors that affect a child’s height. The growth period of a child is long and it is not possible to draw a premature conclusion whether the child will be tall or short. As long as parents take good care of their children, have reasonable nutrition, let them have a good sleep, and exercise properly, even if both parents are not too tall, their children may not necessarily not be tall. What are the reasons for children not growing taller? There are physiological and pathological reasons, such as: familial short stature, premature sexual development, hypothyroidism, systemic diseases, malnutrition, psychological disorders, congenital skeletal dysplasia and hypothalamic-pituitary lesions leading to growth hormone deficiency, etc. My child was born small, will he be short when he grows up? It is possible. It depends on whether the child’s birth weight is at the right level, and if the birth weight is lower than normal, it depends on how small the birth weight is and whether there is catch-up growth in the first 2-3 years of life (before age 3). In general, about 90% of children with low birth weight will eventually reach normal height, and about 10% of children with low birth weight will end up below normal height. Therefore, strengthening post-birth feeding and growth monitoring of low birth weight children is something that parents need to focus on. My child grows 4-5 cm per year, but he is shorter than his peers, could he be a late bloomer? Children with a family history of delayed pubertal growth, i.e., late onset of puberty, tend to grow later. However, some children with late growth have specific diseases, so if your child has been growing slowly, don’t jump to the conclusion that he or she is growing late, but take him or her to a professional department for examination and evaluation. What is growth hormone deficiency? Can this disease be treated? As the name implies: growth hormone deficiency is a lack of adequate amounts of growth hormone in the body. This disorder is sometimes born, and in some people it is caused by other factors such as surgery, car accidents and other traumatic injuries during childhood or adulthood. In most cases, growth hormone deficiency occurs when the pituitary gland is damaged or when it becomes dysfunctional and the growth hormone it secretes is not sufficient to meet the body’s needs. This condition can be treated with synthetic human growth hormone injections.