Idiopathic is the word that doctors use for something with an unknown cause. Therefore, idiopathic short stature is the term for children with short statures caused by something doctors have not yet determined.
There are many known causes of short stature in pediatric patients. The most common is growth hormone deficiency (GHD); GHD is caused by the inadequate secretion of growth hormone in a human body. Other causes include Turner's syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, renal disease, and short bowel syndrome.
Children diagnosed with idiopathic short stature are in the lowest three percent in height of other children of the same age. In order to diagnose a child with idiopathic short stature, a doctor must perform tests in order to first rule out all other possible causes. If a child should be genetically taller, and there is no known cause for their short stature, doctors may recommend that the child receive human growth hormone treatment.
HGH works to raise a person's levels of growth hormone. GH is responsible for increasing bone and muscle growth. HGH can even promote growth in children who are not GH deficient.
In children, HGH can increase growth rate and promote the development of muscle. However, HGH cannot promote growth in post-pubescent individuals. After puberty, the ends of long bones fuse and quit growing. For this reason, it is advisable to start HGH treatment as early as possible. The sooner a child is treated, the more likely they'll grow to be their natural size.
In cases where children are taller than the shortest 3% of all children their age but still unusually short, HGH is also commonly used. Some parents worry about the future discrimination that their children will suffer through because of their lack of normal height. For this reason, many parents choose to treat their children with black market HGH.
Parents who are considering HGH treatment as a growth-enhancer for their child should first consult an endocrinologist. Some children simply grow at a slower pace than others. An endocrinologist can perform tests on your child to rule out any physiological factors contributing you're your child's short stature. Additionally, they will examine your child's growth charts for abnormalities.
An endocrinologist can estimate the height that your child should be at by performing a calculation using both of the heights of the child's parents. If your child seems to be lacking in their growing potential, the doctor may suggest that you seek HGH treatment.
Human growth hormone is prescribed to thousands of children a year and has been used as a treatment to promote growth in children since the late 1950's.