Guidelines Short Stature
Only a very small percentage of children with unusual Short Stature are due to any organic disease.
A large majority are due to genetic causes i.e. short parents.
A child who was born low birth weight, specially if he was small as per the expected weight (small for date) is more likely to be of short stature in later childhood.
Mixed social factors – poverty, short parents, low IQ, low social class, large family size are all that contribute to short stature.
As high as 1/3 of these children have suffered emotional deprivation.
Heavy smoking and alcoholism during pregnancy retard fetal growth. It is surprising that in our race to ape the west, many young would-be-mothers indulge in smoking and alcoholism, blaming the ubiquitous stress as the cause.
If, you are sure that your child is really short (below **** in the chart) then you must consult your doctor.
Most likely, he may not even ask for any investigations. If your child has some associated features/ symptoms your doctor may rule out some hormonal or skeletal problem.
DO NOT ADMINISTER DRUGS FOR INCREASE OF HEIGHT WITHOUT DOCTOR’S ADVICE.
You WILL regret later.
Expected adult height of your child (in cms)
| Expected adult height in cms | 150 | 157.5 | 165 | 172.5 | 180 | ||||
Age | Current Height in cms for boys | ||||||||
| 1 yr | 65.5 | 68.5 | 72.0 | 75.3 | 78.6 | ||||
| 2 yr | 74.7 | 78.2 | 81.7 | 85.6 | 89.6 | ||||
| 3 yrs | 80.8 | 85.0 | 89.2 | 93.1 | 97.0 | ||||
| 4 yrs | 87.3 | 91.7 | 96.1 | 100.4 | 104.7 | ||||
| 5 yrs | 93.0 | 97.6 | 102.3 | 106.9 | 111.6 | ||||
| 6 yrs | 98.4 | 103.4 | 108.4 | 113.4 | 118.4 | ||||
| 7 yrs | 103.5 | 108.7 | 113.9 | 119.0 | 124.2 | ||||
| 8 yrs | 108.2 | 113.6 | 119.0 | 124.4 | 129.9 | ||||
| 9 yrs | 113.2 | 118.8 | 124.4 | 130.0 | 135.7 | ||||
| 10 yrs | 117.4 | 123.2 | 129.1 | 135.0 | 140.9 | ||||
| Expected adult height in cms | 150 | 157.5 | 165 | 172.5 | 180 | ||||
Age | Current Height in cms for girls | ||||||||
1 yr | 68.5 | 70.25 | 72.0 | 77.1 | 82.2 | ||||
2 yrs | 79.2 | 83.1 | 87.1 | 95.0 | 95.0 | ||||
3 yrs | 86.0 | 90.25 | 94.5 | 98.8 | 103.1 | ||||
4 yrs | 92.8 | 97.45 | 102.1 | 106.7 | 111.4 | ||||
5 yrs | 99.1 | 104.1 | 109.1 | 114.0 | 119.0 | ||||
6 yrs | 104.8 | 110.0 | 115.3 | 120.6 | 125.9 | ||||
7 yrs | 110.5 | 116.0 | 121.5 | 127.0 | 132.6 | ||||
8 yrs | 115.7 | 121.5 | 127.3 | 133.0 | 138.8 | ||||
9 yrs | 120.9 | 126.9 | 133.0 | 139.0 | 145.1 | ||||
10 yrs | 125.7 | 132 | 138.3 | 144.6 | 150.9 | ||||
If your child’s current height is not mentioned in the above table, you can calculate his expected height using the following formula:
For boys:
0.545 x Height of child at 3 years + 0.544 x midparental height (mean height of both parents) + 38 cms
For girls:
0.545 x Height of child at 3 years + 0.544 x midparental height (mean height of both parents) + 26 cms
Expected adult height of your child:
Formula
For boys: Mean height of father and mother + 13 cms
For girls: Mean height of father and mother – 13 cms
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