Doctors Cite Many Factors Affecting Growth Of Child
 

"'It is often difficult to say why a boy or girl is not growing as tall as his parents would like him or her to be. A while ago Dr. Luigi Luzzatti, of Stanford University Medical .School wrote about some of the many factors that could be .involved, and that often makes the diagnosis difficult. .There are only a few glandular disturbances that can each be easily recognized, such as a defect in the function of the thyroid gland. The doctor will, of course, look at the parents to see if there is a tendency to shortness in them or in members of their families. The doctor will check, to see if there has been a normal development of the child's, 'mind, and of the sex organs, and of the body hair. The •physician will want to know if the child has been a normal eater, or if he has much indigestion such as could cause the food eaten not to be utilized. Also the physician will look for disturbances in the function of the kidneys.
 
  Study Bones
 An X ray study will be made of the bones, to show if the age of the long bones in the legs, corresponds with the calendar age of-the child. It is very important to see if the epiphyses (growing areas at the two ends of a long bone) are joining the shafts of the' long bones of the legs. Once the shaft and the epiphyses (where much of the growth takes place) have joined firmly, there' have is no chance of further growth in the height of the child. In some cases, the very important pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) could be responsible for the defect in growth, but only men working in a special laboratory can 'tell whether or .not the pituitary secretion is adequate, and whether it contains a normal amount of 'the "growth hormone."

Little Treatment
Unless the physician finds 'something definitely wrong with the child, and something that can be corrected, there is not much treatment available. The giving of male hormones to a boy is very unwise, because it may actually put a stop to the linear growth of the leg bones. A yet, there is no clear cut evidence that cortisone like drugs will cause a child to grow taller. 'As I have said before in this column, years ago, we physicians were looking forward to wonderful result when the growth hormone of the pituitary gland was not commercially available. But then it was discovered that growth hormone obtained from cattle or other animals would not work in man. Also, growth hormones obtained from dead men works best in the cases of "pituitary dwarfs." What is sad is that as yet we physicians cannot cause a short boy to grow rapidly, and thus gain the height he wants and should have.

By Walter C. Alvarez, MD
The Fresno Bee Republican
April 21st, 1965

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