The growth of children and their rate of growth

The height of children It is a common concern, for which parents go to the pediatrician to see that he is shorter than the rest of the classmates. But in many cases the great influence that the growth spurt and the rhythm of children They have certain factors.

Among the main ones are a balanced diet, the practice of some sport and the quantity and quality of the hours of sleep. Sleep, food and sports help "hit the spurt".

Is it average or is there a growth problem?

The main symptom of growth problems is when the child grows less than five centimeters per year, from two years of age. In order to establish if a child grows normally, the size standards are used along the growth in a year.


10% of the population has a size that is marked below the line that represents the 10th percentile, and also 75% of the population will be located above the line that determines the 75th percentile. Therefore, if a boy / girl is between the percentiles 10 and 75, is within normal. A child is considered to have a short stature when his or her growth measure is below the 3rd percentile in the growth curves.

Factors that intervene in the growth of children

In growth, both internal and external factors intervene. Inmates refer to the genetics of the individual: their sex, their race, and the size of the parents; and the child's endocrine system, responsible for the production of its hormones: growth hormone, thyroid hormones and sex hormones.


The external factors are those determined by the environment surrounding the child, such as the quality of the feedn that the child receives, quality and quantity of sleep hours and the emotional factors. The growth can be seriously inhibited by the stress that the child can live at home. Also, the time of year influences, since some children grow significantly faster in the summer than in the winter, so the growth evaluations are made on data for a whole year.

The growth spurt of puberty

Puberty is an extremely important stage of life, from the point of view of the growth of the individual. The child experiences an acute development in its growth, which is known as the pubertal lug, a fact that occurs both in girls (12 years old) and in children (14 years old). Girls show less growth than boys. The average growth values ​​during puberty are about 8-10 cm per year for girls, and around 10-12 cm per year for boys.


How growth hormone works

Growth hormone is a chemical messenger produced by the pituitary gland, which is located just below the brain. Stimulates growth during childhood and in adulthood, and plays an important metabolic role. Stunting occurs when the child does not produce adequate amounts of this hormone. For this there are studies and treatments.

Ana Aznar
Adviser: Dr. Melchor Duart. Pediatrician

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