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A. In some children this may be normal. They may be shorter than average because they are following the family's or parents' height (inherited shortness). They may also be short because they have slightly delayed puberty. Your child may also have growth hormone deficiency.

A. Firstly, it’s important to understand the cause of your child’s slow growth. If you are concerned about your child’s growth its important that you raise this with your GP to ensure you can understand the cause and treatment options.

A. This can be the case, but not always. Children will always grow at different rates. However, if there is an underlying cause of your child’s slow growth, it’s unlikely they will reach their target final height without help.

A. Your GP will explore with you the reasons why your child is growing slowly. It’s important that you provide your GP with all of the information about your child’s slow growth - check out our signs and symptoms section for more information on the signs and symptoms of GHD. It may be useful to highlight these symptoms to your GP if your child has any of them.

A. This depends on what the GP thinks is causing your child’s slow growth. If the GP believes your child is growth hormone deficient, or if they believe your child has another condition which is slowing their growth, you will be referred into the paediatrics department at your local hospital, or you may even be referred directly to paediatric endocrinology.

A. Growth hormone deficiency, or GHD, is a condition which means that your child is not producing enough growth hormone. When this happens, your child may grow at a slower rate than their peers. Growth hormone is also important in the development of bone and muscle and maintaining healthy levels of body fat.

A. There are many reasons why your child may be growth hormone deficient. Sometimes this can be congenital (from birth), and sometimes it can be acquired (caused by something that happens after birth).

We don’t fully understand all of the causes of GHD, but we know that it can sometimes be caused by an abnormal pituitary gland, or an underlying genetic condition such as Turner Syndrome.

Acquired growth hormone deficiency can be caused by a number of things such as a head injury, brain tumour, radiation therapy or other medicines.

In some cases of growth hormone deficiency, no cause can be identified.

A. Your child can be given medicine to top up their growth hormone levels to a natural level. This involves a regular injection under the skin which, depending on the medicine your child is prescribed, will need to be injected either daily or weekly. You can speak to your doctor about whether daily or long-acting growth hormone will be most suitable for your child.

A. The length of growth hormone treatment depends on how well the child's height responds to growth hormone injections and how puberty affects the growth. Usually, the child is on growth hormone injections until growth is complete, which is sometimes many years. The earlier treatment is started, the better chance the child will have of reaching their normal height.

A. Like all medicines, growth hormone can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. These can be discussed with your doctor as they may vary depending on which growth hormone treatment your child is prescribed. 

A. The earlier your child is diagnosed, and the closer you stick to your child’s treatment schedule the better. If your child is diagnosed in a timely manner and your child takes their growth hormone when they are meant to, they have a good chance to reach their final height.

It is important to understand the reason for your child’s growth hormone deficiency as this can sometimes influence whether they will need to continue taking growth hormone into adulthood. Each child is different and their response to treatment can be affected by other conditions they may have.