Absrtact: How to deal with children who are shorter than their peers? Is "booster drug" feasible? Are some high-tech products useful? Is surgical elevation worth advocating? Let's hear what the experts say.
Once the child's height is found unsatisfactory, is there any scientific method to help the child grow taller? Is it feasible to "push too hard"? Let's listen to experts. Tingting is 13 years old and only 120 cm tall. Seeing her daughter grow old, she became anxious and took her daughter everywhere to find the "secret recipe for increasing height". Later, with the introduction of relatives, my mother found an "old Chinese doctor" and gave Tingting a so-called "heightening medicine". A year later, Tingting's height was indeed 6 cm. Her mother was overjoyed. She went to the "old Chinese medicine doctor" to buy some "heightening medicine" for Tingting to continue taking. In the second year, Tingting's height growth slowed down significantly. In the third year, she stopped growing and was only 130 cm tall. At the same time, a series of abnormal phenomena appeared: Tingting's lips grew a light beard, there seemed to be a throat knot, and her voice became low. Mother was surprised: How could this happen? It doesn't matter whether he is tall or not. How can he grow more and more like a boy? It's enough to go on like this! She couldn't believe the "old Chinese doctor" anymore, so she hurried to the regular hospital to find experts. After careful examination, the expert told her mother that Tingting's epiphysis had basically fused and would not grow much longer. In addition, the "heightening drug" she took was actually an androgen drug. Although this drug makes Tingting grow in a short period of time, it also makes the epiphysis fuse prematurely, losing the opportunity to grow again, resulting in Tingting's masculine signs. As long as you stop using this drug, the masculine signs can be gradually eliminated, but the height is unlikely to grow again. Mother is too regretful.
Can "booster drugs" really increase height
To answer this question, first of all, we should understand why children grow in size. The height growth of the human body is caused by the growth of the epiphysis to both ends. Once the epiphysis is closed, the height growth stops. At this time, no matter what kind of height raising products are used, it is impossible to help children grow taller. Under the condition of normal development, when girls are 15-16 years old and boys are 17-18 years old, it means that the epiphysis has basically closed and the growth of height has stopped. Therefore, it is impossible for people to grow without limitation. It is unscientific to say that they can grow taller after adulthood.
Some "enhancers" claim that they are rich in amino acids, proteins, microelements, etc., which can help people grow taller. In fact, amino acids, proteins, microelements, etc. belong to the category of nutritional drugs. As long as a normal and balanced diet is carried out, there is no need to specifically supplement them. It is really impossible to say that they can "increase".
Others are titled with some mysterious "high-tech" names, such as "×× growth factor", which is also called the scientific achievement of academician ××. In fact, these factors do not exist. Even if these factors are synthesized, oral administration is impossible to take effect. Others are mixed with substances with sex hormone effect, which will temporarily accelerate the growth, but also make the epiphysis close prematurely and lose the growth opportunity. This is the case with Tingting.
There are also some products such as "heightening shoes" and "heightening insoles" that can play the role of heightening through neurohumors. However, if the epiphysis has been closed, adjusting the neurohumors in the body to promote height will not achieve the goal, but may lead to morbidity. Because after the epiphysis is closed, the internal environment of the human body has reached a stable state. If the balance of the internal and external environment is broken, there will be more disadvantages and less benefits.
Is growth hormone a panacea
Although some parents do not believe in the so-called "booster drug" by Jianghu doctors, they believe that there is a drug called "growth hormone", which will help children's height. Is it true?
In fact, the short stature caused by the lack of growth hormone only accounts for a small proportion of children. Most children who use growth hormone are ineffective, and even cause adverse reactions. Because growth hormone can not only promote growth, but also cause a series of metabolic changes, leading to increased blood sugar and retention of water and sodium. After use, those who do not meet the indications will cause acromegaly (jaw becomes larger and longer, fingers and feet become longer but height does not increase). Growth hormone is forbidden for children with cancer and diabetes. Therefore, there are strict clinical indications for the use of growth hormone. Only those who are diagnosed with short stature due to growth hormone deficiency, Turner's syndrome, idiopathic short stature, intrauterine growth retardation, etc. can use growth hormone. It should be used under the guidance of a doctor before the epiphysis is closed. If the epiphysis has been closed, even if it conforms to the indication for use, it is ineffective. The view that growth hormone is a panacea that can be used for all short children is even more wrong.
Is surgical elevation worth advocating
Some parents still don't give up because they heard that there is a kind of operation that can increase height after all kinds of methods fail. So they ask everywhere where such an operation can be performed. If it is reliable, they will do it for their children at all costs. What a pity for parents.
The so-called surgical heightening is actually to use modern orthopedic osteotomy to cut off the femur, and then install a limb lengthening device with the function of drawing outside the body. Under the stimulation of stress, the bone will continue to split and proliferate, and the limb will slowly lengthen. This operation was originally used for patients with pathological conditions, that is, two lower limbs are not equal in length. In terms of principle and technology, this kind of limb lengthening is feasible, but this kind of operation has to bear considerable risks. After limb lengthening surgery, bone healing usually takes one year, or even more than two years. Moreover, surgery may lead to many complications such as muscle and nerve injury, bone deformity, infection, and even unequal healing, which is not only painful but also dangerous. Reports about "failing to increase, but becoming disabled" are also frequently reported. Therefore, it is necessary to be cautious in selecting bone fracture augmentation surgery. If it is not because of pathological factors that the bilateral limbs are unequal in length and the short limb needs to be lengthened, but simply because of insufficient height, those who require bilateral limb lengthening should be cautious.
Balanced nutrition and reasonable exercise are the best medicine for growth
As we mentioned in the last article, there are many factors that affect children's height, including race, disease, living environment, etc. In any case, a balanced diet, sufficient and good sleep, and outdoor sports are conducive to the growth of children's height and should be vigorously promoted. In order to achieve balanced nutrition, we should vigorously promote breastfeeding from infants, which is very significant to prevent common nutritional deficiencies in infancy, such as rickets, iron deficiency anemia, zinc deficiency, etc. In adolescence, we should supply sufficient protein, pay attention to the role of milk, and encourage children to drink more milk. In addition, the intake of calcium, iron and zinc should be increased. Calcium helps the growth of bones. Iron is the raw material for the synthesis of myoglobin and hemoglobin. Zinc is an essential nutrient for growth. Zinc deficiency will cause growth retardation and gonadal dysplasia. Foods with high zinc content, such as poultry lean meat, animal liver, nuts (walnuts, peanuts), dairy products, unprocessed cereals and beans, etc. In terms of sports, aerobic sports, such as rope skipping and running, should be advocated to promote the secretion of growth hormone and help height growth.
For parents, if they find that the child's height is abnormal, they should take the child to a regular hospital for special examination as soon as possible to determine whether he is short and why he is short. Do not use drugs blindly. The specialty here refers to children's endocrinology specialty, not the "XX growth specialty" advertised in the newspaper. If the "XX growth specialist" is located in a room of a building or a residential area, it is even more problematic. Because endocrine specialist examinations need certain equipment, especially for the determination of various endocrine hormones, and even brain CT or MRI examinations. Therefore, we should find the right place to get scientific help. The earlier the treatment for dwarfism is, the smaller the gap between the children and normal children will be in the future. Otherwise, after epiphyseal fusion, any treatment will be exhausted.
