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Summary
Does your child seem much shorter - or much taller - than other kids his or her age? It could be normal. Some children may be small for their age but still be developing normally. Some children are short or tall because their parents are.
But some children have growth disorders. Growth disorders are problems that prevent children from developing normal height, weight, sexual maturity or other features.
Very slow or very fast growth can sometimes signal a gland problem or disease.
The pituitary gland makes growth hormone, which stimulates the growth of bone and other tissues. Children who have too little of it may be very short. Treatment with growth hormone can stimulate growth.
People can also have too much growth hormone. Usually the cause is a pituitary gland tumor, which is not cancer. Too much growth hormone can cause gigantism in children, where their bones and their body grow too much. In adults, it can cause acromegaly, which makes the hands, feet and face larger than normal. Possible treatments include surgery to remove the tumor, medicines, and radiation therapy.
- Failure to Thrive (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Growth Failure in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Delayed Puberty (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Growth Problems (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Acromegaly (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Delayed growth (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Failure to thrive (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Gigantism (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Growth chart (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Growth hormone deficiency (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Growth hormone test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Short stature (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish