Constitutional Growth Delay, Pediatric
Constitutional growth delay is a growth pattern. Children with constitutional growth delay grow:
• At a slower-than-average rate from late infancy through early childhood.
• At an average rate through childhood.
• At a slower-than-average rate through most of adolescence.
• At a faster-than-average rate in late adolescence.
Children with constitutional growth delay grow to a normal height, but they tend to be shorter than their peers during childhood and adolescence. They also reach puberty later than their peers.
CAUSES
The cause is not known.
RISK FACTORS
A child is more likely to have this growth pattern if a parent also had it.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
• Shorter height than most children or teens who are the same age.
• Having the growth…show more content… In some cases, your child's health care provider may prescribe a medicine to speed up your child's entrance into puberty.
HOME CARE INSTRUCTIONS
• Reassure your child that normal growth and sexual development will happen with time.
• Listen patiently to your child's feelings, and avoid teasing him or her about size or lack of sexual development. Children and teens can be very self-conscious about their bodies. Looking different than others may cause your child a lot of distress.
• Teens doing weight training should make sure to use weights that are not too heavy to avoid stressing growing bones. If your teen is doing weight training, talk to your teen’s health care provider about how much weight is okay.
• Give medicines only as directed by your child's health care provider.
• Keep all follow-up visits as directed by your child's health care provider. This is important. During these visits your child's health care provider will check his or her height, weight, and stage of sexual development.
SEEK MEDICAL CARE IF:
• Your child avoids school or other activities because of embarrassment over his or her height or sexual