Make the Dx: A vertically challenged presentation
Key Takeaways
Can you diagnose this mystery illness?
A mother brought in her 12-year-old daughter with concerns about her daughter’s extremely short height—even in comparison with other family members—and asked whether she should receive growth hormone therapy.
The girl grew less than 1 inch in the past year; had no relevant past medical history; and faced no stressors at home or school, such as bullying, over her stature.
Her father is 5 ft 10 in tall and her mother is 5 ft 3 in tall—on par with the average height measurements for men and women globally.
Neither parent experienced delays in height growth.
On physical evaluation, the girl is prepubertal. She is 4 ft 4 in tall (< 5th percentile for children her age), and weighs 77 lb (25th percentile for her age). No other abnormalities are present.