Medications

Treatment with medication depends on the cause of short stature. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy is simple and effective for children with hypothyroidism. Recombinant human growth hormone therapy (somatotropin of rDNA origin) is highly effective and safe for growth failure due to growth hormone deficiency and FDA-approved for several other conditions associated with short stature. However, growth hormone is not effective for normal children with short stature (that is, familial short stature). Growth hormone should be administered under the care of a pediatric endocrinologist.