- Causes for Short Stature
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1. Genetics
This is the most common cause of short stature. If one or both parents are short, there’s a strong possibility that their child will also be short.
2. Constitutional growth delay
Some children simply develop later than others. These kids are small for their age and often enter puberty later. However, they’ll continue to grow after their friends have stopped. They usually catch up by adulthood.
3. Turner syndrome
Short stature is the single most common physical abnormality in Turner Syndrome, and children achieve an adult stature to a final height of 140cm and therefore, it is crucial to start growth hormone treatment as early as possible.
4. Intrauterine growth delay
If the weight at birth was less than 2.5kg, growth after birth may also be affected. If the child has not caught up by the age 2, it's likely that the child will continue to be small.
5. Endocrine diseases
Growth hormone deficiency is typical, and weight is relatively high compared to height. In addition, growth disorders appear when there is an abnormality in the thyroid or adrenal cortical hormone.
6. Precocious puberty
If puberty appears too soon, the growth rate initially seems to be faster and higher, but the growth plate closes quickly and growth ends early, so the final adult height is small.
7. Other
Furthermore, growth disorders can also be caused by lack of nutrition, chronic lung disease, kidney failure, asthma, severe anemia, inflammatory bowel disease, and congenital heart disease.