Teenage Growth

My son is a type 1 diabetic, has hypothyroidism and was growing well until two years ago. Endocrine was to check his growth regularely due to this and kept saying he would grow to 5'8 or 5'9. Now, with my concern as he has not grown in the last two years; he is 5'3" and 15.5 years old. Recent xray shows hand /wrist growth plates closed but legs/spine and arms are at skeletal immaturity. Would HGH help with his growth here at the end?
Thanks

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
It is true that growth hormone helps increase height in adolescence and if given before epiphyseal closures and in case of bone age being less than the actual age, it does help increase height. Since your son has diabetes it would be important to rule out whether he has hypothyroidism (through T3, T4 and TSH), growth hormone deficiency (through IGF-1 and IGF BP3 levels), complete blood counts (to rule out anemia), blood chemistries (to rule out kidney and liver disease), urinalysis, and chromosomal abnormalities (especially if  Turner syndrome is suspected). If he has hormonal deficiency then supplementation will definitely help. If he does not have a hormonal deficiency, and his growth pattern is due to anemia or liver or kidney problem then correcting this may help with height. If everything is fine then only his specialist can decide whether HGH will help him or not. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.