Dwarfism is a common disease, the incidence of which accounts for about 1-3% of the population and requires treatment for about one-third of the affected population. “The treatment of dwarfism in children has made a great breakthrough.
1. There is a law for children’s height. There are two rapid growth periods from birth to adulthood, namely infancy and adolescent development. Generally speaking, the average growth of 25 cm in the first year after birth, to the height of about 75 cm at the age of 1, about 85 cm at the age of 2, about 95 cm at the age of 3; therefore, the average annual growth of about 8-10 cm from 1 to 3 years old, the growth rate gradually decreases after the age of 3, about 5-7 cm per year, which is the first rapid growth period of life. Adolescent development is the second rapid growth period of life, in this period boys grow 20-30cm, girls grow 15-25cm. From the season, children generally grow faster in spring and summer than in autumn and winter, if parents feel that the child almost did not grow throughout the winter, do not worry, to judge the growth rate of children or a full year of changes prevail. If you find that your child is always shorter than his peers, his clothes and pants are always shorter, and his annual growth rate is less than 5 cm, it means that there may be some problems with your child’s growth and you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
2, early detection and early treatment is the key In recent years, childhood dwarfism has become an important issue of concern to many families and society, but this does not mean that parents have taken the right approach after finding their children short. Many parents indiscriminately abuse various “height increasing” drugs because their children are short, and some parents expect their children may “grow up late” and blindly wait until their children are already high school students or even college students, because of schooling and employment. At this time, the child’s epiphysis is close to or has already closed, and the growth potential is very limited, thus missing the best time for treatment, and often regretting it too late. Therefore, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of short stature are especially important.
What is considered short stature? Generally speaking, a child with a height lower than the third percentile or two standard deviations of the height of a normal child of the same age, sex, region, or race (national standards exist), and with a growth rate of less than 4 cm/year during childhood, is considered short. Therefore, to determine whether a child belongs to dwarfism, it is necessary to follow our national standards. At present, clinical practice is mainly based on the 2005 version of the national height and weight standards for urban and rural boys and girls.
3, scientific “plucking” to help grow taller “short stature can be caused by a variety of causes, for different causes should take the appropriate treatment, do not blindly use drugs and delay treatment”. At present, there are three main types of treatment for short stature: supplemental growth hormone, bone lengthening surgery and health supplements. The efficacy of various types of health supplements popular in the market is uncertain, and although bone lengthening can increase the height of children whose epiphyses have already closed by 5-7 cm, the pain experienced by the children is greater, and the side effects after surgery are unpredictable and risky, so it is necessary to be more cautious when choosing. Growth hormone is mainly used for short stature caused by growth hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, intrauterine growth retardation and idiopathic dwarfism, and should be a special drug; growth hormone combined with drugs that inhibit gonadal development can be used for short stature caused by precocious puberty with good results.
The clinical effect of growth hormone in the treatment of dwarfism depends on the age of starting treatment, bone age and nutritional supply. Generally, the younger the age of treatment initiation, the better the results. If the child’s bone age increases due to the abuse of other drugs, the treatment effect will be significantly affected. The course of growth hormone treatment can be continued until the epiphysis is fused, during which time it should be checked every 3 months to monitor the efficacy and ensure the effectiveness of the drug. Thyroid function should also be monitored during treatment. If necessary, levothyroxine should be given as a supplement.
In addition to medication, proper nutrition, proper exercise and adequate sleep are also necessary to promote growth and development. Adequate nutrition is an important material foundation. Protein, calcium and zinc are all important components of human cells, so it is important to pay attention to a balanced diet. At the same time, exercise can promote the secretion of growth hormone, especially bouncing can stimulate bone growth, so children should be allowed to do more outdoor activities. In addition, sufficient sleep is one of the necessary conditions for growing taller, because the peak of growth hormone secretion occurs after sleeping well. Therefore, adolescents in the growth period should arrange their time reasonably and not stay up late, otherwise it will also affect their height.