The height of a person depends on their genetic inheritance, but may be interfered with by other factors that prevent proper growth.
Some disorders that can interfere with growth are:
- chronic diseases such as asthma, renal and hepatic failure,
- bone diseases,
- malnutrition,
- endocrine disorders such as growth hormone (GH) deficiency, hypothyroidism, diabetes and Cushing's disease,
- genetic syndromes, such as Turner's syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome.
The final height that a person can reach depends on their genetic characteristics, which are inherited from the parents. However, children of parents of high stature will not always be high, as environmental and socioeconomic factors, such as protein-calorie malnutrition (protein and calorie deficiency), can negatively affect growth, causing children who have a genetic favorable to achieve a high stature, can not achieve it because of lack of food. At the other extreme, although it is less frequent, parents of low stature may have children of high stature, provided that these children have favorable socioeconomic conditions that allow adequate nutrition and access to health care during childhood that prevent chronic diseases , such as diarrhea or asthma, allowing these children to reach their full growth potential.
The pediatrician and endocrinologist are the doctors appointed to evaluate growth disorders.
