A child may be short due to various reasons. The most common cause is genetic short stature when a child is short because the parents are short. These children are normal physiologically but end up short in height due to genetics. These children are unlikely to gain any extra height by taking growth hormone.
Some children may be short due to chronic diseases, such as chronic asthma, gastrointestinal diseases, anaemia, or congenital heart disease. These children will benefit from treating their primary disease, but they may not get any significant benefits from using growth hormone.
However, children with growth hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, or idiopathic short stature will improve in height when receiving growth hormones. Your endocrinologist can diagnose precisely and decide if your child may benefit from using growth hormone.
Dr. Mathew John MD, DM