Growth Disorders
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Growth Disorders

Expert Care to Ensure Your Child's Healthy Growth and Development

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Duke Children’s endocrinologists provide expert care to evaluate concerns about childhood growth and development. If your child is not growing at the same rate as other kids, there may or may not be a problem. When indicated, we can provide a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether your child's health and development are on track. You can count on our expertise, whether it gives you the peace of mind that your child is healthy or provides customized care to support their growth.

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What Are Growth Disorders?

Growth disorders are problems that prevent children from reaching normal height, weight, or sexual maturity. Growth differences can be due to:

  • Short stature of parents, which means your child may grow to a similar height
  • Delayed growth, also called constitutional delay of growth (late bloomers)
  • Hormone deficiencies -- for example, low levels of growth hormone, thyroid hormone, or other pituitary hormone disorders
  • Health conditions that can cause poor growth, such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or kidney disease
  • Genetic disorders, such as Turner or Noonan syndromes
Our Locations
Duke Health offers locations throughout the Triangle. Find one near you.
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Treatments

Your pediatric endocrinologist will develop a customized care plan for your child that includes regular check-ups to monitor your child's growth.

Specialized Care

If a health condition is hampering your child’s growth, your doctor will work with your child’s pediatrician and other specialists to address the problem and provide your child comprehensive care.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

If your child has a hormone deficiency, your doctor will treat it with hormone replacement therapy. In the case of growth hormone deficiency, this would include daily growth hormone injections. Your care team will explain the treatment process in detail, including what to expect and how often your child will need injections. 

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855-855-6484

Tests

Your pediatric endocrinologist will examine your child and thoroughly evaluate their health and growth history. The evaluation may also include the following tests.

Blood and Urine Tests

Check hormone levels and gather additional information about your child’s health. 

Bone-Age X-Ray

An X-ray of your child's hand and wrist can indicate the maturity of your child’s skeletal system. It is used to predict how much your child will grow, when they will enter puberty, and how tall they will be.

Brain MRI

May be ordered if your doctor suspects a pituitary gland problem.

Best Children's Hospital in NC
In addition to being among the best in the country, Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center is proud to be nationally ranked in nine pediatric specialties.

Trusted Care for Growth Disorders in Children

A Team of Specialists
Our pediatric endocrinologists treat all types of growth disorders in children of all ages, and team with other specialists throughout Duke to deliver comprehensive care. We carefully evaluate your child’s health and customize treatment based on the cause and type of their growth disorder. If it’s related to a health condition, your child’s endocrinologist will work closely with specialists such as gastroenterologists or nephrologists.

Support Services
Our clinical administrators will help coordinate your child's appointments and assist you with the insurance process. 

Access to Research
Our pediatric endocrinologists are also researchers who are helping to advance care for children with growth disorders.