The discontinuation program of growth hormone treatment is different for different patients with dwarfism, and it is best to discontinue the medication under the guidance of a doctor. Unauthorized discontinuation of the drug, the therapeutic effect will be very unsatisfactory, the cost of treatment will also increase. In addition, the treatment at the same time parents should not be overly anxious, do not focus on the pursuit of height, ignoring the child’s psychological problems. Compared with height and health, I think health is more important. Growth hormone treatment of dwarfism, stopping the drug has to be careful Q: different dwarfism patients have different causes, is not their treatment program and stopping the drug program is also different? A: Yes, it is actually my job to screen for the cause of dwarfism before deciding on a treatment plan. Different types of patients with dwarfism, and even the treatment plan used for each individual is different, requiring individualized treatment. Many parents ask, my child has been treated for a period of time, now the height is more ideal, want to stop the drug, how to stop? Depending on the cause of the disease, there are different options for stopping the medication. For example, there is a patient in the clinic today who has been treated with growth hormone for almost seven years, and his height has grown from 120cm to 170cm, which is ideal. Recently, the growth rate has also decreased significantly, for example, 3cm a year before treatment, and now the actual growth height is less than 3cm, you can consider stopping the drug. Q: What criteria should be met before stopping the use of growth hormone to treat these types of dwarfism? A: The goal of growth hormone treatment is not to improve the child’s current height, but to improve the child’s final adult height. In patients with growth hormone deficiency, after growth hormone therapy has reached a more desirable height, the growth rate decreases (less than about 3cm per year), and then discontinuation of the drug can be considered. Because the child has already reached the ideal height, at the same time, the potency of growth hormone is relatively poor, continue treatment at this time is often due to the age of the bone is large, easy to appear side effects. Of course, some people believe that growth hormone deficiency combined with hypogonadism, can be properly considered in the final height there is a little bit before stopping the drug, is because such patients tend to epiphyseal healing later, although after stopping the treatment, the growth rate is slower, but still can grow taller appropriately. I came across a case of growth hormone deficiency combined with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, after stopping the drug 1cm per year, in 7 years they grew about 7cm, so we still need to analyze the different situations. Patients with idiopathic dwarfism, if after using growth hormone treatment, catch up with the height of children of the same bone age, and the current growth rate is also acceptable, for example, without growth hormone one year to grow about 5cm or a little faster, the prediction of adult height is optimistic, you can consider stopping the drug. Patients with Turner syndrome or precocious puberty should consider the effect on height due to abnormal advancement or delay of sexual development. If this problem is overcome and the predicted adult height is satisfactory, the drug can be discontinued. In patients younger than fetal age, growth hormone therapy is usually maintained until the patient’s height catches up to the 50th percentile of height for children of the same age, and the predicted adult height is satisfactory, then discontinuation can be considered. Therefore, different indications, different diagnosis of patients discontinuation program is different, it is best to stop under the guidance of the doctor, rather than self-administration of the drug. I encountered some children’s parents in the clinic, stopping their own medication, after a period of time the child grows less satisfactory, and then start to fight again, like pulling drawers back and forth, resulting in a very unsatisfactory effect of the treatment. I think this will only artificially increase the waste, which will ultimately lead to an increase in the cost of treatment, and the effect of treatment will also be affected. Q: What should parents pay attention to after stopping medication for patients with dwarfism? A: At present, more attention is paid to growth hormone treatment in the treatment of dwarfism, but dwarfism actually requires comprehensive treatment. For example, dietary problems, if the child is not eating well, picky eating and partiality is serious, the effect of growth hormone treatment is hardly ideal; if the lack of exercise, and often sick, etc., these factors will affect the growth of height. Therefore, it must be emphasized that, first, after the growth hormone is discontinued, even if the child’s height is normal, it is also necessary to develop a healthy lifestyle. Parents should urge their children to eat well, exercise, sleep, and try to get sick as little as possible. Second, one must monitor the child’s height every three or six months and calculate the growth rate. If the growth rate is still unsatisfactory and deviates from the normal growth curve, then one must continue to look for the cause, otherwise the final adult height will still be unsatisfactory. Q: After stopping the use of growth hormone in patients with dwarfism, they still need to visit the clinic frequently for follow-up and review? A: Yes, not everything is fine after stopping the medication. Long-term monitoring and follow-up of the child is very necessary. I recommend that children return to the hospital three to six months after stopping the medication. Parents and doctors should form an organic whole and communicate frequently. I often ask parents in the clinic, how is your child’s spirit, sleep, and exercise, and how is his growth, but unfortunately, many parents do not have any monitoring of these aspects, and even some patients who have been on treatment for three to five years are not able to do long-term monitoring, which is actually a sign that our health literacy and awareness need to be improved. I hope that parents will strengthen their learning in the treatment process, pay more attention to follow-up visits, and must participate in the treatment process, not thinking that it is the doctor’s business or the child’s business, but in fact, this is the direction of the organism composed of several of us to work together, and the role of parents is very crucial in it.