Endocrinology-Diabetes | Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Questions Pediatrician

My child is 5'4.2" and he's 14, what can I do?

I have a big question for my child, he's a male and he's almost 16 (15 and 9 months). We have problems with his height, as he's only 5'4.2", which is short for his age. We have looked at his health history book, and last year the same period he was 5'2.8", where he probably hit height growth at around mid-12. We're very concerned as he wasn't listening to us to eat more height promoting food during the ages 14-late 14, which he realized himself the past 3 months. So he put himself on a kinda strict schedule, drinking 1 cup of milk, then yogurt, and also food containing any milk. However, we measured him we were disappointed. He gained only 0.7 inches. I am personally his mother at 5'3" and his father is 5'6" while his father's brother (simply his uncle) is 5'10". So I come to the conclusion as we're worried: Can a stricter food schedule be put and get him to at least 5'7" or if it's not possible (knowing primary growth ends at 16), can he take specific medication or even further, surgery for that?

Male | 16 years old
Complaint duration: 0/3/0
Medications: Vitamins: D3 (for protection against COVID-19), iron, B12
Conditions: -

2 Answers

He needs to see a pediatric endocrinologist as soon as possible.
Dear patient,

I believe nutrition affects height in childhood as protein intake is most important. At this age, if there are no other medical or endocrine factors, he may be a candidate for Human Growth Hormone treatment. Please discuss with your physician.

Respectfully,

Marvin A. Leder, MD FACP FACE