By Melanie Haiken
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVEBelow:
• If my children are short, does that mean they have growth hormone deficiency?
• What is the difference between Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS) and Growth Hormone Deficiency?
If my children are short, does that mean they have growth hormone deficiency? No. Children who are short with no underlying medical cause do not have growth hormone deficiency. You may be worried because your child has been diagnosed with Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS). This simply means they are considerably shorter than other children their own age and your doctor has found no medical reason why. ("Idiopathic" is doctor-speak for "no known cause.") It's important to understand that children with ISS do not have a growth hormone deficiency. Moreover, ISS is not a disease or medical condition. More than one million American children between the ages of 4 and 15 have idiopathic short stature. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the Growth Hormone Research Society define "short stature" as a height that is more than two standard deviations (SD) below the average for a child’s age and sex. This corresponds to the 2.3 percent of all children who are at the shortest end of the height spectrum. Another way of thinking about it is that a child this small is the same size as children two years younger. If a child with ISS has parents or other relatives who are also very short, his condition is known as familial or genetic short stature. This means there is no underlying medical cause, but it's likely that genetics play a role in determining the child’s size. Chances are, he will probably reach an adult height comparable to that of his parents. What is the difference between Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS) and Growth Hormone Deficiency? This is an important question for parents of children who are not growing as fast as other kids their age. The difference lies in the amount of growth hormone that a child's body is producing. If your child is diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD), it means that his pituitary gland is not producing an adequate amount of growth hormone. This could be because his pituitary gland did not develop normally before he was born, or was damaged during his childhood. -- Melanie Haiken, MA, is the former health editor of Parenting magazine. She has also reported on health and business.
References
Interview with Mary Lee Vance, MD
Interview with David M. Cook, MD
Editorial: The Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Growth Hormone Deficiency -- Consensus or Confusion? Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (from the Endocrine Society)
"The Most Frequently Asked Questions When Beginning Growth Hormone Therapy": pamphlet from the MAGIC Foundation for Chidlren's Growth: www.magicfoundation.org/ghdfaq.html
Meta-analysis of data in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine: http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/156/3/230
Minnesota State Task force report: summarizes efficacy of studies: http://www.health.state.mn.us/htac/hgh.htm
Reviewed by Niki Saxena, MD, a pediatrician who practices in Redwood City, California.
First published December 16, 2003
Last updated November 18, 2008
Copyright © 2003 Consumer Health Interactive
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