“Having access to growth hormone treatment, can transform the lives of young people with growth hormone deficiency. This therapy has been shown to profoundly improve the confidence of many young people and can encourage them to live the lives they want to.”
Tam Fry. Honorary Chairman,
Child Growth Foundation

One potential cause of growth failure in children is Growth Hormone Deficiency. Growth hormone secreted by the pituitary is one of a number of hormones that effects a child’s growth. It is possible for there to be a deficiency of other pituitary hormones resulting in Hypopituitarism.
A growth hormone deficient (GHD) child generally shows a growth pattern of less than 2 inches a year. In many cases the child will grow seemingly normally until the age of two (2) or three (3), and then they begin to show signs of delayed growth.
Keep in mind; it is possible that children experience growth failure earlier or later than this age range. Though much smaller, these children have normal body proportions and often tend to look younger than their peers. Some may appear to be on the higher percentile in weight, though cases of Growth Hormone Deficiency have been diagnosed for children of low weight.

If you as a parent suspect growth failure in your child, keep in mind Growth Hormone Deficiency is not part of the normal battery of testing. Testing for Growth Hormone Deficiency occurs when all other possibilities of short stature have been ruled out. A child’s growth hormone secretion will be stimulated by one of several agents such as clonidine and Ldopa. The release of growth hormone may also be measured over a period of eight (8) – twelve (12) hours, since growth hormone secretion varies throughout the day and is greatest after falling asleep.
Once positively diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency, treatment is with human growth hormone, now available in unlimited quantities, since it has received FDA approval.

While every child does not react exactly the same to growth hormone treatment, the majority of children under today’s hormone replacement therapies reach a normal adult height or nearly their full growth potential.

Growth hormone (GH) therapy is given through injection, either daily or several times per week. At first parents are trained to give these injections and children, once they are comfortable with it, can continue on their own.
Early diagnosis cannot be stressed enough for optimal treatment of growth hormone deficient child. The best results are obtained when a child is diagnosed and treated at a relatively young age. Accurate annual measurements and plotting of a child’s growth chart help in the identification of growth failure and treatment before the child’s bones fuse. Once fusing has taken place, no additional growth is possible.