Navigation
[TITLE]

[MESSAGE]

[BUTTONS]

Popular questions...

Content

How is short stature diagnosed during childhood?

Your doctor will assess your child's height by: measuring your child's height against standard growth and development curves; evaluating your child's height based on their age, health status, and family and developmental history; examining your child for physical proportions (weight, sitting height) and outward signs of genetic conditions, and; evaluating your child's bone age from an X-ray image of their hand and wrist. Your doctor may also want to perform specific tests, including blood tests and growth hormone stimulation, to correctly diagnose the cause of your child's short stature.

FAQ Frequently asked questions

What is short stature?

Short stature is defined in a person whose height is two standard deviations below the average height for his or her age, sex and family background. About one in every 43 people of all people (2.3%) fit into this category.

What causes short stature?

Short stature can be the result of many factors. The most common cause is simply coming from a family background of short height, and/or drawing the 'short stick' in the genetic 'luck of the draw'. However, in some cases short stature can also be the result of an …

How is short stature treated in children?

For some types of short stature, growth hormone treatments can help add to the child's final height. For other types, growth hormone will not help at all.

Will short stature in children improve on its own?

Some children are naturally 'late bloomers' and may start growing later than their peers.

Can short stature be prevented in children?

There is nothing that can outright prevent short stature. Some forms of short stature are affected by conditions during pregnancy and by the child's own environmental factors, especially nutrition and health. Therefore, the best thing you can do …

What is 'mid-parental height'?

As a general rule of thumb, a child's expected final height is estimated as the 'mid-parental height', which is an average of the child's parents height, adjusted for gender.

Related topics

Diseases & conditions

Childhood immunizations

Childhood immunisations help protect infants and children against a variety of diseases, without them being exposed to the actual diseases. Immunisations include tetanus, polio, measles and chicken pox vaccines. They also help protect friends and family by reducing the rates of these conditions.…
Diseases & conditions

Bullying

Bullying is the use of power by a person or group of people to intentionally cause physical or psychological harm to another person or group of people. It includes humiliating, demeaning or threatening behaviour and can occur anywhere, including at school, home, online or the workplace.…
Diseases & conditions

Dental care for babies and young children

It is recommended that you clean your baby’s teeth daily, as soon as the first teeth appear in their mouth. From an early age, it is important to help children develop good oral hygiene habits.…
Diseases & conditions

Failure to thrive

Failure to thrive (FTT) occurs when an infant or young child consistently fails to grow and gain weight at the rate expected for their age and gender. It may occur as the result of a range of factors or medical conditions.…
Diseases & conditions

Growing pains

Growing pains are a form of recurring limb pain experienced by children. Although they can sometimes be severe and at times alarming for children and parents, they do not indicate or cause any permanent damage and usually do not interfere with a child's normal activities. Typically, they go away on their own.…
Diseases & conditions

Urinary tract infections (UTI) in children

Younger children often have vague symptoms when they have a urinary tract infection (UTI). These include fever, vomiting, poor feeding and irritability. In older children, there may be frequent urination, burning sensations when urinating, fatigue, or abdominal pain. UTIs in children may require prompt treatment with antibiotics to prevent damage to the kidneys.…

About this article

Author: Dr Idan Ben-Barak PhD, MSc, BSc (Med)
First answered: 13 Oct 2014
Last reviewed: 19 May 2018
Rating: 4.6 out of 5
Votes: 801 (Click smiley face below to rate)
Category: Childhood immunizations

×

Content goes in here.