Reply to Human Growth Hormone Deficiency

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am the one posting about our 13.9 year old son who is going thru testing. I do want to clarify there are those testing or considering HGH to get taller because they don’t want to be short.  And those who are considering hormone treatment because of medical situation.
   Or son was sent to endocrinologist beacause he has only grown 1.5 inches in 19 months.  The average for his age is 2-3 inches a year so he has failed three 6month growth tests.
   Since he’ll be 14 in October, the specialist is concerned about his lack of growth this late in the game.  I’m 5 7 and my husband is 6 ft— so we are both fairly tall. We weren’t even really cognizant of problem— primary doc just noticed lack of growth reviewing his chart at physical and some low levels of hormone in blood test.
   I don’t think he’ll qualify because expected height is still 5”9 but he meets the two other criteria- so we”ll know more after some all day blood draw (every 30 min while giving some drug to test for hormone)—end of the month.[/quote]

Can you share what other criteria?  I'm concened about my son, who is falling off his growth curve at age 12.  My DH is 6'2", and I'm 5'8".  DS is currently at 40%, but when he was born and shortly after he was 75%. He's now tracking to be 5'10" or less.  It's not that I'm bothered by that, but it doesn't seem like that is quite where he should be.  Our ped sucks, they don't notice anything. On doing research, DS has is also VERY delayed in tooth loss...so I' mworried.  I also can't get an appt with a pediatric endo before end of Sept, unless someon can recommond their Pediatric Endocrinologist for this?[/quote]

FWIW... going from 75% to 40% is not "falling off" his growth curve.  Your endocrinologist should check his growth hormone levels as well as other pituitary hormone levels (thyroid, prolactin, cortisol).  If things look a little problematic, then the endo would order a growth hormone stimulation test (where they spend the morning in the hospital getting blood drawn every 30 minutes).  Likely, your son is fine.  5'10" is average and would not be unusual given your heights (include your father, your father-in-law, any brothers, uncles into your thoughts about genetic height potential). [/quote]

Another consideration is where your DS is in puberty.  The standard growth charts don't take into effect where kids are in puberty and they can appear to be dropping on the curve when it could just be delayed puberty (my DS's issue).  In addition to blood tests, an endo will do orders for a hand and wrist x-ray to assess bone age.  It may simply be constitutional delay of growth and puberty.

My DS's bone xray showed 18-24 months behind his actual age.  If you plotted him on the growth charts based on his actual age (12 1/2), he was 15-20%.  If you did it based on his bone age (11), he was 50%.  [/quote]

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