What is short stature?

Short stature is when a person’s height is significantly below the average for someone of that age, gender or ethnicity. While it can apply to adults, the term more commonly refers to children and it is important for parents to monitor their child’s growth patterns. If parents have any concerns, they should visit a paediatrician to see if there is a problem in their child’s growth or development. 

What are the causes of short stature?

There are three common causes for short stature, which include:
 

Constitutional growth delay

Where some children develop later than others and are ‘late bloomers.’ The children are small for their age and enter puberty late, however, they will continue to grow and catch up with their friends by adulthood. 
 

Genetics

If one or both parents are short, there is a possibility that their child will be short too.
 

Disease

A number of diseases may cause a short stature. These are: 

• Endocrine diseases – including hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease
• Chronic diseases – such as heart disease, asthma, diabetes, kidney problems and inflammatory bowel disease
• Genetic conditions – Down's syndrome, Turner syndrome and William’s syndrome
• Bone and skeletal diseases – such as rickets or achondroplasia
• Problems during pregnancy can also affect a child’s height, as well as malnutrition

What are the symptoms of growth problems?

Short children tend to have short parents. Children with familial short stature do not tend to be affected by growth problems, but rather will go on to have normal growth spurts and experience puberty and development in a typical fashion.

Children with constitutional growth delay enter puberty later than their peers but will go on to catch up with their peers at a later stage. Once they have fully developed, they will typically reach an average adult height, comparable to that of their parents.

Symptoms of a growth problem or delay may include the following:

• The child has stopped growing or is growing slower than expected (less than 4cm each year in a pre-puberty child of school age)
• Weight loss or gain
• Malnutrition and/or a loss of appetite
• Delayed puberty 

Treatment of growth problems

Where growth problems are identified, treatment is key to ensure that the child develops well. This may relate to a deficiency in growth hormone levels, in which case hormone treatment may be required.

In cases where a child's short stature is not associated with any health problems, it is important for parents to support their child as they grow and develop and encourage their self-esteem and confidence despite any differences as compared to their peers.