What to do if the child does not grow taller

Parents all hope that their children are tall so that they will look energetic and vibrant. Adolescence is the most critical period for children's growth. Generally, children's height will grow rapidly during this period. But some parents find that their children are not growing, often only a few centimeters in one or two years. This is most likely due to malnutrition or certain diseases in the child. So, what should we do if our children don’t grow taller?

There are many factors that lead to short stature, many of which interact with each other, and the mechanism by which many diseases lead to short stature is still unclear. Common causes include: familial or idiopathic short stature, constitutional delayed puberty, malnutrition including rickets, chronic systemic diseases, precocious puberty, abnormal pituitary development, growth hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism, etc.

As long as the cause is discovered early and appropriate treatment is given, the child can achieve better catch-up growth and

Return to normal height.

In order to make an early and correct diagnosis, children with growth retardation must undergo appropriate examinations.

1. Clinical observation: mainly regular (every 3 months) follow-up, measurement, and evaluation of the child's growth rate.

The measurement needs to be strictly carried out in the growth and development clinic using standard instruments and standard methods. Generally, the measurement time and measurer are required to be relatively fixed. The measurement time is best at 10 am. The same person is responsible for each re-measurement to ensure that the measurement values ​​are accurate. In addition to observing height and weight, we should also measure the sitting height and the ratio of the upper and lower parts.

2. Determination of bone age and prediction of adult height

Take an AP X-ray of the left hand (including the wrist, metacarpal, and phalanges) to observe the growth and development of each ossification center and predict adult height. Bone age is the maturity of bones at different ages. Bone development runs through the entire growth and development process and is a good indicator for assessing a child's physical development. Under normal circumstances, the difference between bone age and actual age should be between ±1 year. If it lags behind or advances too much, it is abnormal.

3. Laboratory examination: Conduct relevant examinations based on the child’s specific situation.

Such as routine blood and urine tests, liver and kidney function tests, thyroid hormone tests, blood ammonia and electrolyte analysis (for patients suspected of renal tubular acidosis), karyotype analysis (for children suspected of chromosomal abnormalities), GH-IGF-I axis function tests, and tests for other endocrine hormones.

4. Imaging examination of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to rule out the possibility of congenital developmental abnormalities or tumors.

After the diagnosis is clear, different treatments should be adopted according to the different causes of the disease. If the thyroid function is hypothyroid, thyroid hormone should be supplemented in time; malnutrition including rickets and chronic systemic diseases that lead to unbalanced physical development should promptly treat the primary disease; precocious puberty will cause the epiphyseal ends to close prematurely, reducing the potential for human growth and development, and endocrine regulation should be performed early; abnormal pituitary development, growth hormone deficiency, familial or idiopathic short stature are often accompanied by growth hormone deficiency or insufficiency, and growth hormone supplementation is the most ideal treatment method.

1. Balanced nutrition and proper allocation of nutrients can maximize growth potential.

A balanced diet with both meat and vegetables. Protein is the basic substance that makes up the human body. Animal foods such as eggs, meat, fish, and milk contain a relatively complete range of essential amino acids for the human body and have high nutritional value. Beans, peanuts, and vegetables can be combined with animal foods to further improve the nutritional value of protein and complement each other's strengths. Calcium and phosphorus are the main components of bones. Milk, beans, dried shrimps, bone soup, etc. are rich in calcium; milk, meat, beans, and grains are rich in phosphorus. Trace elements are necessary for human physiological functions, such as iron, zinc, copper, iodine and selenium. These foods include: animal liver, meat, fish, clams, mussels, oysters, kelp, seaweed, grains and beans. Food should be consumed in a moderate and balanced manner to avoid picky eating.

2. Get enough sleep

Sleep time should be guaranteed to be 8-10 hours. Growth hormone is secreted 45 to 90 minutes after falling asleep at night (deep sleep), so adequate sleep helps to increase height and promote rapid growth during puberty.

3. Rizhao

Sunlight helps children grow and develop. Therefore, children should be given more outdoor activity time to promote their growth and development. May to June is the "golden period" for children to grow taller. Especially in May, children grow the fastest, reaching an average of 7.3 mm.

If children engage in strenuous exercise too early, it will also affect their height growth. Because excessive physical exertion will affect the nutrient supply to bones and muscles, and will also inhibit the secretion of growth hormone. Sports that are beneficial for height growth include relaxing, lively, free-stretching and open-minded activities, such as swimming, dancing, badminton, table tennis, horizontal bar, etc. Exercises that are not conducive to height growth include weight-bearing, contraction and compression exercises, such as weightlifting, dumbbell lifting, pull-up training, wrestling, long-distance running, etc.

In short, a child’s growth and development is a regular, continuous and phased process. There is the first rapid growth period from birth to 3 years old. The younger the age, the faster the growth. For example, the child can grow about 25 cm in the first year and about 10 cm in the second year. The stable growth period from 3 years old to before puberty plays an important role in a person's final height, with an annual growth of about 5 to 7 cm. The growth rate accelerates again during puberty, and a second growth peak occurs, with an annual growth of about 8 to 10 cm.

However, human growth is time-limited. Generally, once the epiphyseal line closes after puberty, height stops growing and the height of the body is basically fixed. No method can make it grow taller. Therefore, if a child does not grow tall, he or she should go to the hospital for a check-up in time. Early diagnosis and treatment play a decisive role in the final height of the child, and the earlier the better.

Treatment is best started before the age of 12, that is, before puberty.