April 3, 2001
Other Illnesses
Question from Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA:
My 13 year old son, who has had type 1 diabetes since 18 months of age, wears an insulin pump and has consistently been in good control (last hemoglobin A1c was 6.8%). He has always been short in stature and was just found to be growth hormone deficient. His stature has recently kept him from several sports that he always played because he feels he is so much smaller than the other boys his age. His endocrinologist is reluctant to treat him because he has diabetes. What are your feelings about this? Any advice? Do you know of others who have undergone treatment for both insulin and growth deficiencies? Please help, his self-esteem is at stake!
Answer:
The decision to treat short stature cannot be delayed too much longer. If your son is indeed growth hormone deficient (which requires some detailed testing to determine) and it is affecting his self-esteem, I would recommend treating it with growth hormone injections under the supervision and direction of a pediatric endocrinologist. I would not let his diabetes influence your decision to treat a correctable (or potentially/partially correctable) problem like GH-deficiency with short stature.
MSB
