Idiopathic Short Stature

Idiopathic Short Stature General Information

ISS is a common abbreviation for Idiopathic Short Stature. This medical term is known to refer to the abnormally short stature that the patient presents (even if all the other clinical exams / tests show that the individual is healthy and physically normal) for which doctors were not able to set a diagnosis after a common evaluation of the patient’s growth. This clinical term has been used since 1975. This medical condition is generally diagnosed during the patient’s childhood, the clinical condition is known to affect both girls and boys. Although scientists have discovered various causes for Short Stature, some factors have not yet been completely understood. For this reason, some clinical cases are considered Idiopathic (without a clinical explanation). All patients must be aware of the difference between ISS (Idiopathic Short Stature) and another medical disorder called Growth Failure.

This medical disorder is generally diagnosed by a growth specialist, after the patient has undergone a full clinical evaluation. The pediatric endocrinologist will also want to know more about the patient’s medical history (for this reason, it is very important for the patient or the patient’s parents to be able to provide the physician with a set of detailed information about the family medical history). The first step in the diagnosis is the exclusion of any hormonal abnormality and / or chronic clinical disorder. Some patients are asked to submit blood samples, and to undergo other clinical exams that are needed in order for the physician to rule out the presence of other clinical disorders that are known to generally affect the patient’s height. The most common medical disorders that are known to affect a patient’s development (height) include the following clinical conditions: chronic renal insufficiency, Turner syndrome, and so on.

Idiopathic Short Stature Symptoms

Like most medical conditions, the presence of this clinical disorder (Idiopathic Short Stature) is known to trigger a set of clinical manifestations (symptoms and / or signs) that enable a physician set a diagnosis of this medical disorder. However, the list of symptoms that are associated with this medical condition is quite short. A patient is diagnosed with Idiopathic Short Stature if he or she presents an abnormally low height for his or her age (the statistic definition for this matter is shorter than at least 1.2% of the individuals who have the same gender and age), if he or she has a poor height prediction for their adulthood (less than 4.11’’ in the case of female patients and less that 5.4’’ in the case of male patients) and if doctors were not able to find a detectable cause for their clinical condition. Clinical tests that are meant to show the individual’s general health condition will show that the patient is healthy, and physically normal. After the patient has been diagnosed with Idiopathic Short Stature, he or she will have to undergo other medical tests in order to find out the true cause of his or her medical condition and correct it.

The first step to the diagnosis of this medical disorder is the visit to the local pediatrician who will give the patient a reference to a growth specialist (also known as pediatric endocrinologist) if the health care provider finds it necessary. All patients must be aware that their opportunity for a normal growth ends after puberty, when the organism’s growth plates fuse. For this reason, it is best to seek professional medical care as early as possible.

Idiopathic Short Stature Treatment

The earlier the patient seeks clinical help, the better the results of the therapy will be. Another reason for the need of early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment is that no therapy is effective if it is administered after the patient’s puberty. We strongly recommend all parents to submit their children to a detailed clinical exam as soon as they notice anything unusual regarding their growth development. The average therapy for Idiopathic Short Stature involves the use of the growth hormone. The natural growth hormone is secreted by the patient’s pituitary gland (that is located near the brain); this is one of the many natural occurring hormones that affect the growth of the individual. However, this type of treatment trial can only be done under the strict supervision (and with the direct approval) of a pediatric endocrinologist. If this treatment trial is started early enough (at an early age), it can increase the height of the patient in a significant way. If the patient’s diagnosis also shows the presence of a constitutional delay of puberty, the child will also be prescribed a therapy with sex hormones (estrogens in the case of girls and androgens in the case of boys). This type of therapy will bring on the normal sexual characteristics that the patient ought to present; in the meantime, it will also help with the Idiopathic Short Stature. However, this type of therapy will not be prescribed to a child who has not reached the age of puberty yet.

Regardless of the therapy option that you will choose for your Idiopathic Short Stature suffering child, it is always important and recommended to encourage the patient to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You should make sure that your child’s diet includes a wide range of healthy aliments, that the little patient gets enough sleep, and that they make regular exercise. All of these measures will increase your child’s growth rate. The therapy for this medical condition (Idiopathic Short Stature) is widely discussed in our days, as the children who are diagnosed with this disorder are actually healthy from all other points of view. The first advice that a professional health care provider gives under such circumstances is to wait and observe the patient’s growth rate for a determined period of time (without exceeding one year) – this is generally known as the “watchful waiting”.

The most common medicines that are prescribed to patients who are suffering from Idiopathic Short Stature are the well known growth hormones (especially somatotropin), which can be found under several brand names. The most popular of them include: Nutropin, Norditropin, Humatrope, Genotropin, Accretropin, and so on. You should ask your personal health care provider for further, more detailed information.