The growth of a child’s height is relatively hidden as he grows, and once it is discovered that the child is a head shorter than others, it is already too late.
Parents should firstly compare their children with children of the same race and age, and if they are shorter than other children, it means that their children’s development may be abnormal; secondly, parents should record their children’s height in detail every year. It is best to take your child to the pediatric clinic of a regular hospital for examination. A professional pediatric endocrinologist will measure the child’s height and compare it with the standard height data for each age group to see if it is within the normal range.
Generally speaking, there are 2 rapid growth periods for children, one is infancy and one is adolescence. The first year of height growth in infancy is 25 cm; the second year is 10-11 cm, the first rapid growth period, mainly related to nutrition and not much related to family genetics. Adolescent boys grow at the fastest rate of 9-11cm/year, with an average cumulative growth of about 28-30cm; girls grow at the fastest rate of 7-8cm/year, with an average cumulative growth of about 25cm. after the age of 2 to puberty, the average annual growth of 5-7cm, a period of stable growth.
1. Cultivate children’s self-confidence Mental, social factors, family environment, psychological pressure, etc. all have an impact on children’s height. Children with short stature are often ridiculed and thus become introverted, autistic or even depressed. Nearly 60% of children with dwarfism have different degrees of psychological problems, such as introversion, emotional instability, social withdrawal, etc. Parents should encourage their children more, and it is very important to cultivate their children’s self-confidence.
2.Scientific and reasonable nutrition supply sufficient protein, such as eggs, fish, soy products and dairy products, to provide the best “building materials” for children’s growth and development; supply abundant calcium, such as milk, beans and their products, sesame paste, kelp, shrimp, melon seeds and green leafy vegetables, etc., because calcium is an important component of bones. The raw materials; eat less sugar, sugar eat more easily affect the appetite of children, so that the amount of food to reduce the absorption of nutrients; be sure to eat a good breakfast. If children do not eat good breakfast, nutrition supply is not enough, a long time is bound to affect the body’s growth and development; pay attention to nutritional balance, not because the child’s height is short to eat a lot of supplements, because it may contain hormones, etc., stimulate children to develop early maturity, resulting in short.
3, moderate exercise Children like small trees also need sunlight, more children to outdoor activities, exercise can not only promote the secretion of growth hormone, at the same time, the body after full exercise can also enhance appetite, promote children’s height. The sports that help to grow taller are jogging, jumping rope, dancing, playing basketball, volleyball, swimming, etc. Try to avoid weight lifting and other sports that will hinder the longitudinal growth of bones.
4, early to bed and early to rise The amount of growth hormone secreted by children when they are asleep is more than 50% of the amount secreted throughout the day. The peak of growth hormone secretion occurs after 10 pm and lasts for a long time. Therefore, children must be allowed to go to bed before 10:00 pm.
5. 4-10 years old is the “golden period” for treatment. 4-10 years old is the best time to help dwarfism patients to grow in height, as long as early detection and early treatment, the affected children can reach normal height.
Most children with dwarfism can grow taller with medication, but the key is to find out the cause of the disease and provide targeted treatment. Children with hypothyroidism can be treated with thyroxine; children with dwarfism who are growth hormone deficient should be treated with growth hormone; children with Tumer syndrome, chronic renal failure and intrauterine growth retardation, idiopathic dwarfism and other non-growth hormone deficient causes of dwarfism can also be treated with growth hormone with significant effect. To decide whether a child with dwarfism is suitable for intervention with growth hormone, physical examination, bone age determination, necessary endocrine function tests, and in some cases, genetic analysis and imaging tests must be performed by a professional physician to clarify the causes of dwarfism and to strictly control the indications for treatment.