Whether and when a child with short stature needs to be treated is a major concern for every parent.
There are many factors that cause short stature, such as nutrition, exercise and sleep, and environmental factors and diseases that endanger the physical and mental health of children. If the child’s height is always less than two standard deviations from the average height of normal children of the same race, age and gender, or if the growth rate is always out of the normal range, it is necessary to do relevant examinations and, if the diagnosis is clear, intervention treatment can be considered.
The following diseases that cause short stature can be treated with rhGH: growth hormone deficiency (GHD), chronic renal insufficiency before kidney transplantation, Turner syndrome, small for gestational age (SGA), idiopathic short stature (ISS), Prader-Willi syndrome, short bowel syndrome, SHOX gene deletion, Noonan syndrome, etc;
In addition, children with central precocious puberty, congenital adrenocortical hyperplasia, and congenital hypothyroidism, who have persistent growth lag despite treatment of the primary disease, and whose predicted adult height is significantly impaired (less than 160 cm for boys and less than 150 cm for girls), can improve their growth with rhGH treatment.
Children treated with growth hormone should be followed up and monitored regularly. Generally, they should come to the hospital endocrine clinic every 3 months for examination. The main tests include growth and development indicators, laboratory indicators, and adverse reactions. Specific testing indicators include: height, weight, sexual development; growth rate; thyroid function, fasting glucose, insulin; serum IGF-1, IGF-BP3 (3-6 months); liver and kidney function, adrenal cortical function, glycated hemoglobin (6-12 months or according to the condition); bone age (1 year); pituitary MRI (as appropriate).
Evaluate the effectiveness and safety of treatment by examination. Adjust the dose and correct any abnormalities promptly.