Recently, various colds and fevers, mycoplasma infection, and new crowns have taken turns to affect children's physical health, and at the same time, they will also affect the normal growth and development of children
Therefore, while parents pay attention to the immediate problems of their children, they also need to take time to see if the children's height and weight have kept up, so as to prevent them from becoming "little potatoes" in the future.
So how can we tell if there is any abnormality in a child's growth and development? Let's start with some of the most important ones:
1. Too short in height:
Meets or approaches criteria for short stature. (Shown in the figure below)
2. Insufficient growth rate:
The height growth before the age of 3 is less than 7 cm/year, the height growth from the age of 3 to adolescence is less than 5 cm/year, and the height growth during adolescence is less than 6 cm/year.
3. Premature onset of secondary sexual characteristics:
That is, girls develop secondary sexual characteristics before the age of 7 and a half years and boys before the age of 9 years. (Girls begin with enlarged breasts or tenderness; boys are more insidious and have increased testicular volume)
4. Late appearance of secondary sexual characteristics:
That is, when a girl reaches the age of 13 and a boy reaches the age of 14 and still does not show any signs of development, or when the development progress is very slow.
Q: What should I do if I find abnormal growth and development in my child?
Answer: Go to the hospital to measure your bone age!
The age we usually talk about is biological age, that is, the age on the calendar.
Bone age refers to the biological age expressed in years by measuring the changes in the size, shape, structure, and interrelationship of bones to reflect the degree of physical development, and through statistical processing, there may be some deviations from biological age.
Q: What is the use of bone age measurement?
A: Through the bone age results, the doctor can see whether the child's development is normal, and how tall the child can eventually grow, and give life/diagnosis and treatment suggestions based on this!
Usually, a child's bone age is consistent with his or her chronological age, up or down by 1 year.
However, the growth plates in the bones undergo functional and organizational aging changes over time, and slowly they close and the child cannot grow taller.
Q: At what age can a child's bone age be measured?
A: It is generally recommended for children aged 4-13 years old to measure bone age!
If a child's puberty is almost over, the best time for intervention is basically missed, and there is no room for intervention for children, so it is recommended that parents start to pay attention to children's growth and development as soon as possible.
Q: Where can I measure bone age and assess how tall a child will grow in the future?
A: Department of Pediatrics, Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Hospital - Children's Care Clinic
If parents find that their children have the above-mentioned abnormal growth and development, they can go to the pediatric clinic of our hospital, and the doctor will evaluate the child's growth and development in an all-round way and provide a scientific and reasonable healthy growth plan.