The perception of short children has been improved with the progress of the times, but there are still some misconceptions. Many parents may think: My mother and I are both quite tall, how can my child be short? Do you think so? In fact, genetic factors are only one of the factors that determine a child’s height, accounting for about 65-70% of the factors. Many acquired diseases, such as growth hormone deficiency, intrauterine growth retardation, severe lack of physical exercise, and even diseases that do not show any abnormality, medically known as idiopathic short stature, can affect a child’s height.
Another reason is that nowadays, families have one child and they love them very much, so they supply snacks and nutrients very well, not knowing that many ingredients in these foods can cause early development of children, which is called precocious puberty in medical science, and this can also affect the height of children. There are also some parents who say: my child’s short height is only temporary, he is not yet the time to grow, I was 17 years old when I grew a large chunk, the child will also be the same as me.
Will it really be the same? I would like to remind such parents not to let their children miss the best time for treatment because of your experience, leaving a lifetime of regret. Why? The condition you mentioned also exists, and medically it is called somatic delayed puberty, which is also related to the poor living conditions and relatively insufficient nutritional intake in the past.
Nowadays, there is a huge difference in living conditions compared to those days, so this is becoming less and less common. Even if the growth is indeed late, I suggest you should go to the hospital for a checkup to rule out some related diseases, and then pay careful attention to your child’s growth rate and other indicators, so that you don’t miss the best treatment period. Wen Hongfei, Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Aerospace General Hospital Then why is it so important to grasp the best time for treatment? Bone age is generally determined by taking X-rays of the left hand above the wrist bone. Bone age represents biological age, and after the gap is completely fused, it means that there is no more growth potential. I believe you understand the truth: once the epiphysis is fused, there is no chance of growing taller, so once you find out that you are short, you must consult a doctor in time and not delay the best time.
When you come to the clinic, you must prepare in advance, you need to measure your height accurately and know the growth rate in the past six months. Both parents need to be present at the same time when you come to the clinic to save time and correctness when asking questions about the parents’ development. Once the child’s height is found to be lower than the normal height, a test related to dwarfism is required, which involves blood tests and requires an empty stomach to save time.