Spend 150,000 a year to give children 'height-increasing needles', just to grow 8 cm in height, parents: no regrets

In 2021, the " Lancet " report shows that the average height of 19-year-old men in China is 175.7 cm, and the average height of 19-year-old women is 163.5 cm, the fastest growth rate in the world.

As soon as the news came out, several families were happy and some were worried, and some parents began to feel "height anxiety" and worried that their children would lose at the starting line. So, they have been eyeing a "fast" way to grow taller - injection of growth hormone .

1. Spend hundreds of thousands of injections a year to grow taller, parents: No regrets

01 One year after the injection, the height grew to 121.5

When Xinxin (pseudonym) was 8 years old, her height had not changed for a year. Her parents were very anxious and decided to take her to the hospital for examination.

After the examination of a tertiary hospital, Xinxin was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency . The doctor said that Xinxin is only 8 years old now, and the skeletal line has not been closed, and can be intervened by injecting growth hormone.

Since then, Xinxin has been getting injections on time every day, and has to be checked frequently, spending an average of 11,000 yuan per month . In order to cooperate with the treatment, Xinxin also skips 1,500 ropes a day, eats milk and eggs for breakfast, and goes to bed at midnight, even if the homework is not finished.

One year after the injection, Xinxin's height increased by 8 centimeters to 121.5 centimeters, but the doctor said that this height was still short, and the treatment effect was not very satisfactory, so a new treatment plan was formulated. Next, Xinxin needs to adjust her diet and exercise, while continuing to inject growth hormone.

Xinxin's parents see hope . Although they spend nearly 150,000 yuan each year on their children's growth, they always feel that they "have no regrets, it's worth it".

02 I just started treatment, I hope my son can catch up

Mr. Li's height is 178 and his wife's height is 162, so after the child was born, they didn't worry too much about the height.

However, his son Niuniu was in poor health since childhood and was often sick. After entering primary school, his classmates grew taller and he was the only one who stayed still. This year, Niuniu, who is in the third grade, is 9 years old, but only 125 centimeters tall , making him the shortest group of all grades.

At the beginning of this year, Mr. Li took Niuniu to the children's growth and development clinic for examination. There were many examination items. He took more than a dozen tubes just to draw blood, and it took two or three days to complete. After the results came out, the doctor found that the bone age of the cow was two years later , but there was still room for growth, and it was 10 cm away from the average height . She believes that in order to match the height of her peers, Niuniu needs to be treated for at least 2 years.

At present, growth hormone injections are divided into water and powder , and more people use water. The liquid preparation is divided into short-acting injection and long-acting injection , both of which have the same effect, but the short-acting injection needs to be administered every day, and the cost is cheaper, and the long-acting injection is administered once a week, but the cost is higher.

According to Niuniu's weight, the annual cost of short-acting needles is about 50,000 yuan, while long-acting needles cost hundreds of thousands of yuan . Mr. Li believes that the price is not a problem. In order to make the children suffer less, they chose long-acting needles. According to the plan, Niuniu needs to be injected for 2 years, catch up with the average height of the same age as soon as possible, and then make follow-up plans.

2. "Growth hormone" is on fire, can children be hit?

A reporter once did a micro-survey, the results showed that almost all parents want their children to grow taller and stronger, 60% of parents are willing to spend 10,000 yuan to help their children grow taller, and 80% of them are willing to let their children get injected. growth hormone.

Relevant data shows that in 2013, China's growth hormone market was about 1.2 billion yuan. By 2020, the market size will expand to 7.7 billion yuan, with a compound growth rate of 30.42%. By 2021, the growth hormone market size is estimated to exceed 10 billion yuan, reaching 11.548 billion yuan.

Growth hormone is getting more and more popular, however, it is not a miracle drug .

Growth hormone is a protein secreted by the pituitary gland, which can promote the growth of bones, muscles and organs, and plays a key role in growth and development. If it is lacking, it can lead to growth retardation in children and affect height. However, clinically, whether children need to inject growth hormone needs to be strictly evaluated by a doctor .

Step 1: Determine whether the height is normal

Use the " Growth and Development Evaluation Form " or " Growth Curve " to judge, if the child's height is less than 2 standard deviations from the average of children of the same age, it can be identified as short stature.

Step 2: Determine the cause of shortness

There are many reasons why children are short, including systemic diseases, bone diseases, endocrine diseases, and familial inheritance. At present, the diseases that can be treated with growth hormone in the "Recommendations for Pediatric Clinical Practice of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone" include growth hormone deficiency, idiopathic short stature, chronic renal insufficiency before transplantation, and short bowel syndrome .

Step 3: Assess medication risks

Before using growth hormone therapy, it is necessary to exclude other conditions that are not suitable for use , such as congenital heart disease, chronic kidney disease, precocious puberty, hypothyroidism, Down syndrome, childhood tumors, etc.

All in all, growth hormone cannot be used casually. It can only be used under the guidance of a doctor if it meets the indications and there is no risk of drug use.

3. Blind injection may have side effects

If the child does not meet the indications and blindly injects growth hormone, side effects may occur.

1. Abnormal blood sugar

Long-term use of growth hormone can reduce insulin sensitivity, increase insulin resistance, and may cause abnormal blood sugar. Very few children will develop diabetes.

2. Hypothyroidism

Some children may have atypical hypothyroidism, mainly manifested as abnormal laboratory indicators such as decreased serum T4 or free T4 levels.

3. Benign intracranial hypertension

If children have organic growth hormone deficiency, chronic renal insufficiency, or Turner syndrome, benign intracranial pressure may occur, with symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, and vision changes.

4. Water and sodium retention

In the early stage of treatment, children may have water and sodium retention, mainly manifested as edema of the eyelids, face, and limbs, and a few people have muscle or joint pain.

In addition to the above four types, injection of growth hormone also includes side effects such as changes in the bone and joint system, transient reactions, and promotion of tumor growth . Therefore, it must be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor to reduce risks .

Fourth, children want to grow taller, seize 2 key periods

There are two key periods for children to grow taller: infancy and adolescence. Infancy refers to the period from birth to age 3 , puberty refers to the period from 10 to 18 years for girls and 12 to 20 years for boys. During these two critical periods, tell your children to do 3 things well.

· Active exercise

Exercise can promote the secretion of growth hormone. In infancy, parents can assist the baby to do exercise, such as crawling on the bed; in adolescence, teenagers do more outdoor exercise to promote the proliferation of cartilage cells and stimulate height.

·balanced diet

Children need to get enough protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and fiber from food in order to grow and develop better. In particular, protein and vitamin D help to grow taller and develop mentally, maintain bone metabolism and normal bone shape. In addition, calcium deficiency can also directly affect bone growth.

·enough rest

Sleep will affect the secretion of growth hormone, ensuring adequate sleep can promote height growth. According to the document issued by the Ministry of Education, primary school students need to ensure 10 hours of sleep every day, junior high school students 9 hours, and high school students 8 hours.

I would like to remind parents not to let their children abuse growth hormone. If they are really short, it is recommended to go to a regular hospital for examination to clarify the cause of short stature, and then take targeted treatment.

References:

[1] Endocrinology, Genetics and Metabolism Group of Pediatrics Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Editorial Board of "Chinese Journal of Pediatrics". Suggestions on the clinical application of recombinant human growth hormone in pediatrics [J]. Chinese Journal of Pediatrics, 2013,51(6):426 -432.

[2] Does the child grow tall and suffer from short stature? Guangzhou doctor reminds: quite a few small people are not sick. Southern Metropolis Daily, 2019-08-11

[3] Xiehe experts support tricks to help children grow taller! , Human Health, 2021-01-30

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