Growth Disorders
Expert Care to Ensure Your Child's Healthy Growth and Development
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. Whether it’s giving you the peace of mind that your child is healthy or providing customized care to support their growth, you can count on our expertise.
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
Trusted Care for Growth Disorders in Children
Duke Children’s endocrinologists treat all types of growth disorders in children of all ages.
- We’re nationally ranked for pediatric endocrinology care by U.S. News & World Report.
- Our pediatric endocrinologists 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.
- Our pediatric endocrinologists are also researchers who are helping to advance care for children with growth disorders.
GROWTH DISORDERS
Tests
Your pediatric endocrinologist will examine your child and thoroughly evaluate their health and growth history. The evaluation may also include the following tests.
-
Check hormone levels and gather additional information about your child’s health.
-
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'll enter puberty, and how tall they'll be.
-
May be ordered if your doctor suspects a pituitary gland problem.
GROWTH DISORDERS
Treatments
Your pediatric endocrinologist will develop a customized care plan for your child that includes regular check-ups to monitor your child's growth.
-
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.
-
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. Our clinical administrators will help coordinate appointments and assist you with the insurance process.