The growth hormone is just as it seems. “It is one single hormone that we all make which is responsible for our linear growth or how we grow in height,” said Dr. Jackson Smith, pediatric endocrinologist at UK. Growth hormone is a chemical released by the brain’s pituitary gland. Some pituitary glands are impaired and secrete too little, which is called hypopituitariasm, and severely stunts growth.

Pediatric endocrinologists see children who are short and evaluate them to determine if there is indeed a hormone deficiency such as growth hormone. “If they have a growth hormone deficiency, we can give it to them through injections given up under the skin on a daily basis,” said Smith. The hormone is given until linear growth is completed. The situation is not unusual as according to The Human Growth Foundation, 10,000 to 15,000 children in the United States have growth failure due to growth hormone deficiency.

People often wonder about the nature of height. “The range of heights is going to be largely genetically dependent on the heights of the parents,” said Smith. It is a good idea to know where your child stands. “Typically children are followed by a pediatrician or family practitioner who plots their height out on a growth curve annually,” said Smith. Almost everybody knows when somebody is short. “The issue is whether it is a growth curve or in a growth pattern that is indicative of a medical problem,” said Smith. While genetics are usually to blame, there are other reasons behind short height. “There are a sizable number of short people who have delay in growth and development,” such as late bloomers; “and there are also hormone deficiencies such as growth hormone, underactive thyroid or medical problems that can lead to short stature,” said Smith.

Kids stop growing after puberty but everyone starts puberty at a different age. Whether or not a child gets injections is a personal decision. “Growth hormone in certain situations has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat children who are simply short and do not have a hormone deficiency,” said Smith. Related troubles may be concerning. “Short stature can be psychologically and socially problematic, particularly for boys who are kidded, teased and picked on,” said Smith.

Some kids are better candidates for growth hormone than others. “If we do a predicted adult height and boys appear to be less than 5’3’’ when they finish their growth or if a girl is going to be 4’11’’ or shorter, that is where the Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of growth hormone for children,” said Smith. These situations are referred to as idiopathic short stature and the hormone is well-tolerated and very safe. Parents often wonder if there are alternatives to make a child taller. “There is nothing nutritionally you can do to make yourself taller,” said Smith.

Know what to expect if you are concerned about height and see a pediatric endocrinologist. “The basic start is to do a thorough history and physical and review their growth chart because we like to see what their growth pattern has been,” said Smith. Blood work can be done to determine if there is a growth hormone deficiency. The doctor is likely to ask about the child’s general health, stresses, past illnesses and injuries. All measurements of height and weight from birth on should also be plotted. Sometimes an X-ray of the hand and wrist are obtained to see how bone development compares to height and chronologic age.

In adulthood, short stature is not considered a true disability but can be problematic. “My mother is quite short and she had a hard time finding clothes to fit her, reaching for things in the kitchen and seeing over the steering wheel,” said Smith. Remember that the growth hormone does not interfere with puberty and is not the typical treatment of most short children; it is for children who have severe short stature and is based on a complex set of decisions which involve the patient, parents, physician and even the insurance company,” said Smith. Though research continues to look at the causes of growth hormone deficiency and develop more accurate ways of diagnosing it, many kids can still reach normal height as a result of what has already been accomplished over the years.

By Jamie Lober, Staff Writer