The growth of human height is regulated and controlled by the hormones secreted by the endocrine system. From infancy to prepubescence, it depends on growth hormone and thyroid hormone; growth during puberty depends on the above two hormones in addition to the influence of sex hormones. If the growth rate is less than 7 cm/year in infancy (under 3 years old), less than 4~5 cm/year in childhood (3 years old ~ puberty), and less than 5.5~6.5 cm/year in puberty, the child’s growth can be clearly defined as stunted.
There are many factors affecting the growth and development of children: genetics, endocrine, nutrition, disease, maternal pregnancy, living environment, etc. Through the reasonable conditioning and medical care, and giving full play to the growth potential, even if both parents are short in stature, the child may exceed the height of the parents and reach the normal standard.
If these factors do not exist, parents should take their children to an endocrinologist or pediatric specialist for an early diagnosis and timely treatment.
Short stature can occur when there is a lack of or insufficient secretion of growth hormone, which is commonly referred to as dwarfism. The cause of dwarfism can be intracranial tumors, trauma, etc., and some of them are of unknown origin. If this type of disorder is not treated with growth hormone early, the final height of the adult will only be about 1.30 meters.
Human growth hormone (hGH) is a protein secreted by the anterior pituitary gland, and is the most important hormone for growth promotion after birth. Its main role for children is to stimulate the differentiation and proliferation of epiphyseal chondrocytes and the growth of long bones.
Genetically recombinant human growth hormone is the only effective drug approved by the FDA to promote height growth in children, and has a more definite effect on all kinds of growth retardation, while not promoting epiphyseal healing. It is a human growth hormone prepared by recombinant genetic technology, fermented by specially designed engineering bacteria, and then extracted and purified. The most clinically used recombinant human growth hormone in China is an original creation based on the advanced technology in the United States, which is more in line with the characteristics of Chinese people and is completely consistent with the structure and function of growth hormone produced by the human pituitary gland.
Research shows that the younger the child is, the more active the growth and differentiation of the cartilage layer of the epiphysis, the greater the child’s growth potential and space, the more sensitive the child is to treatment, and the better the growth effect. Some children have good nutrition and normal growth rate, but they are short in stature and sit in the first row of the classroom. In fact, some of these children belong to familial short stature.
Familial short stature refers to the fact that parents or their family members often have short stature, with male <155.5 cm and female <146.6 cm, so that the normal variation of children's length development occurs. According to research, the final height of children is closely related to their relatives, with parents or siblings sharing 1/2 of the child's genes, grandparents, uncles and aunts 1/4, and nieces and nephews only 1/8. Therefore, if there is a relative of both parents with short stature, it may affect the child's height. Familial short stature may be small at birth, below the 3rd or 5th percentile in height, with a normal growth rate and a growth curve parallel to that of a normal child. The growth rate is normal and the growth curve is parallel to that of a normal child. For familial short stature, treatment is usually not required. Some people are treated with anabolic steroids, which initially accelerate growth and maturation, but do not increase final height; conversely, if overdosed, they can decrease final height. Therefore, parents should not use such drugs indiscriminately for their children. In recent years, some people have proposed to treat children with familial short stature who have normal growth hormone response by drug excitation test with certain effect, but they must be used under the guidance of doctors.