The Short Child: A Parents’ Guide to the Causes, Consequences, and Treatment of Growth Problems
By Drs. Paul Kaplowitz and Jeffrey Baron (Warner Wellness, $14.95 paper)
Pediatric endocrinologists Paul Kaplowitz and Jeffrey Baron thoroughly explain a child’s growth, discuss the social and psychological impact of shortness, demystify growth charts and present treatments.
1. The three main factors that affect growth are genetics, hormones and nutrition/overall health.
2. In the U.S., the average height for Caucasians and African-Americans is 5 feet 10 inches for men, 5 feet 4 1/2 inches for women; for Mexican-Americans, it’s 5-7 and 5-2.
3. Growth rate slows from 10 inches per year in the first year of life, to 2 1/4 inches a year between ages 7 and 9. But the adolescent growth spurt can be up to 3 1/2 inches a year.
4. The number of children diagnosed with “growth hormone deficiency” has jumped since the introduction of biosynthetic growth hormone in 1985. It could be a case of misdiagnosis in order to give a medical name to their shortness, the doctors say.
5. Puberty can be delayed by medications, allowing more time for growth.
