Growth failure in children: signs and therapy

What is a growth disorder?

Your child’s growth can be calculated by regularly measuring your child’s height and weight over a longer period of time. The pediatrician usually does this. He enters the results of this examination in a growth chart, which results in a growth curve for your child. This should roughly follow the average growth curve for boys or growth curves for girls .

Signs of growth failure

During the regular check -ups that the pediatrician carries out, the height and weight of your child are measured and entered in the growth chart in the yellow U-booklet. If irregularities occur in your child’s development, this is the quickest way to spot them. Because not only the current body size, but also the growth rate, i.e. the development of growth over a longer period of time, are important signs of a growth disorder. You can tell if your child has any other abnormalities by looking at these signs:

• Increased fat tissue (especially on the stomach)
• Round, doll-like face
• Large head circumference
• Little muscle mass
• Less energy and strength than peers
• Babies and toddlers: hypoglycaemia quickly
• From the age of 2 significantly smaller height than peers
• Very small hands and feet compared to the body
• In boys: very small genitals
• High, squeaky voice
• Teeth change and tooth growth delayed

Causes of growth failure

A growth disorder can be triggered by hereditary factors, certain diseases or environmental influences. Therefore, there are a variety of causes that can result in delays in growth:

• Familial short stature (the parents are also short or had a growth disorder as children)
• Hereditary changes (e.g. Down syndrome, , Silver-Russel syndrome)
• Damage in the womb (e.g. from smoking or malnutrition)
• Dysfunction of the pituitary gland (hormone secretion is disturbed)
• Hypothyroidism (hormone secretion is disturbed)
• Chromosomal disorder (girls have a defective sex chromosome. They seem to develop normally at first, but then they don’t reach puberty: Ullrich-Turner syndrome)
• metabolic disorders
• Malnutrition or malnutrition
• brain tumor
• cartilage development disorder
• Bone development disorder
• Chronic disease (heart disease, asthma, diabetes, bowel disease)
• Disorder of kidney function (phosphates important for bone growth are excreted with the urine and therefore not utilized)
• Psychosocial disorders caused, for example, by neglect or malnutrition
• Constitutional short stature (so-called ‘late developers’: growth, skeletal development and puberty are delayed)

Possible secondary problems in the event of a growth disorder

Because the physical development of children with a growth disorder is delayed, they are often judged younger than they are by those around them and are treated accordingly. However, intelligence and mental development are usually unaffected. This is why children with stunted growth often suffer from emotional problems because of their height, because they realize that their peers are all taller. Because they are smaller than average, they also have difficulties with activities that others take for granted. For example opening doors, sitting in a normal chair or finding suitable clothes becomes a problem for these children.

Treatment of a growth disorder

The problem with treating a growth disorder is that it can be traced back to such different causes and clinical pictures. Therefore, a correct and precise diagnosis is required first. This is provided by specialists after a whole series of tests have been carried out. For example, the doctor will inquire about your child’s eating habits; according to what it eats and how much of it. He will also ask you about his digestion, possible illnesses and physical activities. It is tested whether your child suffers from psychological problems or whether a hormone deficiency could be the reason for the disorder. It is also checked whether the bone age corresponds to the age of your child. The doctor can see this by looking at X-rays of your child’s hand and wrist or by the development of their teeth. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging or computer tomography can also be carried out to rule out that your child has a tumor or another structural change in the brain that triggers a growth disorder.

This comprehensive examination is so important because not all forms of growth disorders can be treated. For treatable disorders, the earlier they are recognized, the better. Many forms can be successfully treated, for example, by injecting growth hormones every evening.

In rare cases, orthopedic interventions are also possible in the case of a growth disorder. This mechanically pulls the arms and legs, allowing them to be lengthened by a few centimetres. However, this form of therapy is very time-consuming and painful and is therefore not usually carried out.

If your child suffers from an incurable growth disorder, they must learn to live with it. You too must accept your child’s height and should help him to learn to cope with everyday life despite his growth disorder and to lead a normal, carefree life.

Stunted growth: what can you do for your child?

If you are unsure whether your child’s growth is developing appropriately for their age, you should definitely speak to the pediatrician. Attend all check-ups and make sure that the doctor enters your child’s height and weight each time. Only in this way can the course of growth be understood later and a possible growth disorder recognized.

If your child has a growth disorder, it is important that you show your child that you love them and accept them for who they are. You should talk to your child about the reasons for their height and explain why they develop differently than other children. This is the only way you can help to reduce the mental stress on your child caused by the growth disorder.