Question
A 17-year-old female, standing at 1.48 meters tall, feels that her body has matured early but her height has not increased. She hopes to seek medical assistance to understand if there is still a possibility of growing taller.
Answer
Dwarfism refers to a condition where a child’s height is below the average height of their same gender, age, and ethnicity by two standard deviations, or if their annual growth rate is less than 5 millimeters. This condition is usually caused by a lack of growth hormone. If a child’s height is found to be below the average of their peers, they should go to the hospital for growth hormone testing and growth hormone stimulation tests. Once diagnosed, growth hormone subcutaneous injections are required until bone fusion is complete. With timely and sufficient treatment, a child’s height can be expected to reach the average height of their age-matched peers, indicating that this condition can be alleviated.