Some Babies Suffer From 'Small For Gestational Age' Condition
Babies come in all shapes and sizes. Infants who are born with a very low birth weight and/or a short length relative to their full term or premature status are considered "small for gestational age," according to health experts.
An estimated three out of every 100 babies is born small for gestational age. Approximately 90 percent of the babies who suffer from SGA catch up in size by the time they reach 2 years old, but about 10 percent of children won't grow like their peers, health experts said.
"Those children with SGA who do not catch-up in height may be a candidates for treatment with growth hormone," Debra Counts, M.D., director of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children, said.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of growth hormone in SGA children.
The growth hormone is a protein hormone and therefore cannot be taken in pill form. Children are injected, usually daily, with the hormone. The endocrinologist determines how much growth hormone and how often it will be given to the child.
"Studies have shown that SGA children who take growth hormones do catch-up in size," Counts said.
The FDA has also approved the use of growth hormones in children with growth hormone deficiency, Turner Syndrome, Prader Willis and chronic renal failure. Growth hormone is also indicated in some adults with growth hormone deficiency.
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