Sermorelin for Height: Children to Grow Taller

Many parents notice when their child is significantly shorter than their peers. While height differences are often completely normal, there are situations where slowed growth may signal an underlying medical or hormonal issue. Understanding when growth is simply delayed versus when medical evaluation is needed is an important first step.

One option sometimes discussed in pediatric growth medicine is sermorelin therapy for children—a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog designed to stimulate the pituitary gland to release the body's own growth hormone rather than directly providing recombinant growth hormone.

Sermorelin has historically been studied in children with growth hormone deficiency and short stature. However, it is important for parents to understand that sermorelin and recombinant human growth hormone (HGH) are not interchangeable treatments, and the evidence supporting recombinant HGH for established pediatric growth disorders is substantially more extensive.

Whether any growth-promoting treatment is appropriate depends on the child's diagnosis, growth velocity, bone age, pubertal development, laboratory findings, and remaining growth potential.

This guide explains how children grow, when to consider a growth evaluation, how sermorelin works, what the medical evidence shows, and what parents should realistically expect.

Understanding How Children Grow

A child's height is influenced by several interconnected factors:

• Genetics — parental height and family growth patterns
• Nutrition — adequate calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals
• Sleep quality — particularly normal sleep architecture
• Overall health — chronic illness can interfere with normal growth
• Pubertal timing — children entering puberty earlier or later can temporarily appear much taller or shorter than peers
• Hormone production — particularly growth hormone (GH), IGF-1, and thyroid hormones

Growth hormone is released from the pituitary gland in pulses throughout the day and night, with significant secretion occurring during sleep.

GH stimulates production of IGF-1 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1) in the liver and other tissues. Together, GH and IGF-1 help regulate cartilage and bone growth at the growth plates.

Growth plates are areas of developing cartilage near the ends of long bones. As long as these plates remain open, a child has the potential for additional linear growth.

Abnormalities involving the GH/IGF-1 pathway can reduce growth velocity, but growth hormone problems are only one of many possible explanations for slow childhood growth.

Growth Velocity Matters More Than a Single Height Measurement

One of the most important concepts for parents to understand is that height and growth velocity are not the same thing.

A child may be shorter than most classmates but still be growing normally.

For example, a child who consistently tracks along a lower height percentile while maintaining an appropriate annual growth rate may simply have familial short stature.

Conversely, a child who was previously near the middle of the growth chart but progressively crosses downward through percentiles may warrant evaluation—even if their current height does not appear extremely short.

Clinicians therefore look at the pattern of growth over time, not simply where a child falls on the chart today.

Important factors include:

• Current height percentile
• Previous height percentiles
• Annual growth velocity
• Parental heights
• Bone age
• Pubertal development
• Birth history
• Nutrition
• Chronic medical conditions
• Medications
• Laboratory findings

When Should Parents Be Concerned?

Not every shorter child requires treatment. Pediatric growth evaluation focuses heavily on growth velocity—how much height a child gains over time.

Evaluation may be appropriate if a child:

• Is significantly shorter than expected for age and family height
• Drops percentiles over time on growth charts
• Has persistently slow growth velocity
• Shows signs of delayed puberty
• Appears developmentally younger than peers
• Has a history of being small for gestational age without appropriate catch-up growth
• Has a family history of significant delayed growth or endocrine disorders
• Has symptoms suggesting thyroid, gastrointestinal, nutritional, or pituitary disease
• Has an unexplained change in their previous growth pattern

Rather than relying on a universal cutoff such as “less than two inches per year,” growth velocity should be interpreted according to the child's age, sex, pubertal stage, and previous growth pattern.

Early assessment can be valuable because growth plates eventually close during puberty, after which medications that influence the GH/IGF-1 pathway cannot meaningfully increase long-bone length.

What Is Sermorelin?

Sermorelin is a synthetic peptide corresponding to the biologically active portion of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH).

GHRH is normally produced by the hypothalamus and communicates with the pituitary gland.

The basic hormonal pathway looks like this:

Hypothalamus → GHRH → Pituitary → Growth Hormone → IGF-1 → Growth Plates

Sermorelin acts at the level of the pituitary, stimulating it to release growth hormone.

This is fundamentally different from recombinant HGH therapy.

With recombinant HGH, growth hormone itself is administered.

With sermorelin, the medication attempts to stimulate endogenous growth hormone secretion from a functioning pituitary gland.

That distinction is important when determining which children could potentially respond.

Was Sermorelin Ever Used for Children?

Yes.

Sermorelin is not simply an adult anti-aging peptide that has never been studied in children.

Sermorelin acetate was historically marketed as Geref and was studied in pediatric patients with growth disorders. Clinical research evaluated GHRH/sermorelin therapy in children with growth hormone deficiency and various forms of short stature.

Studies found that some children experienced increased growth velocity during treatment.

However, parents should understand an important distinction between historical pediatric use and current treatment standards.

Recombinant growth hormone has a much larger modern evidence base and remains the established therapy for children with confirmed growth hormone deficiency and several other recognized pediatric growth indications.

Current use of compounded sermorelin for pediatric growth should therefore not be presented as equivalent to standard recombinant HGH therapy.

How Sermorelin Works in Children

Sermorelin stimulates GHRH receptors on pituitary somatotroph cells.

When the pituitary is capable of responding, this stimulation can cause the release of endogenous growth hormone.

Growth hormone then contributes to IGF-1 production and growth signaling.

The pathway can be summarized as:

Sermorelin → Pituitary stimulation → GH secretion → IGF-1 signaling → Growth plate activity

This mechanism also explains an important limitation.

Sermorelin requires a responsive pituitary gland.

If a child has severe growth hormone deficiency because the pituitary cannot adequately produce GH, stimulating that gland may not produce enough hormone to correct the deficiency.

For this reason, identifying the cause of poor growth is essential before deciding whether sermorelin even makes physiologic sense.

Sermorelin vs. HGH for Children

Parents frequently ask whether sermorelin is simply a “more natural version” of HGH.

That description is incomplete.

The two treatments affect the same hormonal pathway but at different points:

• Growth hormone therapy injections replace GH directly
• Sermorelin stimulates the body to produce its own growth hormone

Recombinant HGH does not require the pituitary to produce additional growth hormone because the hormone is administered directly.

Sermorelin requires the pituitary to respond to stimulation.

This means a child could theoretically respond to one treatment differently from the other.

Historical research has shown that sermorelin/GHRH can increase growth velocity in some children, but recombinant HGH generally has more extensive evidence supporting its ability to produce catch-up growth in children with established growth hormone deficiency.

Therefore, the choice between therapies should be based on diagnosis and physiology—not simply a preference for one medication over another.

Why Some Clinicians May Consider Sermorelin

In carefully selected cases, clinicians may discuss sermorelin when a child's pituitary appears capable of producing growth hormone but GH signaling or secretion is considered suboptimal.

Potential considerations include:

• Whether endogenous GH production remains responsive
• The underlying cause of poor growth
• Growth velocity
• IGF-1 levels
• Bone age
• Pubertal stage
• Remaining growth potential
• Whether the child meets criteria for an established HGH indication
• The strength of evidence supporting each treatment option

The fact that sermorelin stimulates endogenous hormone production can make its mechanism appealing.

However, a physiologically appealing mechanism does not automatically mean a treatment will produce better height outcomes.

The treatment decision should be driven by the child's diagnosis and available clinical evidence.

What Does the Research Say About Sermorelin and Height?

Pediatric studies of sermorelin and related GHRH therapy date primarily from earlier decades.

Some studies demonstrated meaningful increases in growth velocity.

For example, a multicenter study of previously untreated prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency receiving once-daily GHRH therapy reported an increase in mean growth velocity during the first year of treatment.

Other small studies also reported improved growth velocity in certain children with short stature.

However, several limitations are important:

• Many studies are relatively old
• Sample sizes were often small
• Patient populations differed between studies
• Response was variable
• Long-term adult-height data are limited
• Modern recombinant HGH has a substantially larger evidence base

A review of sermorelin in children concluded that available data suggested treatment could promote growth in some prepubertal children with idiopathic GHD, while also noting that final adult-height effects had not been established and that growth responses could be lower than those achieved with somatropin under some dosing conditions.

Therefore, sermorelin should not be described as proven to produce the same final-height outcomes as recombinant HGH.

Which Children May Be Less Likely to Respond to Sermorelin?

Because sermorelin relies on the pituitary gland, children with severe impairment of pituitary GH production may have a limited response.

Potential situations requiring particular caution include:

• Severe or complete growth hormone deficiency
• Structural pituitary abnormalities
• Multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies
• Previous pituitary surgery
• Certain brain tumors
• Cranial radiation affecting pituitary function

These situations require specialist evaluation.

A child with a healthy but delayed growth pattern is also fundamentally different from a child with true pituitary dysfunction.

This is why sermorelin should never be prescribed simply because a child is shorter than average.

The Evaluation Process

Before starting any growth-related therapy, a thorough medical work-up is essential.

Medical History

Important information may include:

• Birth weight and length
• Gestational age
• Pregnancy and delivery history
• Family growth patterns
• Parents' heights
• Puberty timing within the family
• Sleep habits
• Dietary intake
• Chronic medical conditions
• Current medications
• Previous growth measurements

Physical Examination

Evaluation may include:

• Accurate height and weight
• Growth chart analysis
• Growth velocity calculation
• Tanner staging when appropriate
• Body proportions
• Signs of chronic illness or endocrine disease

Laboratory Testing

Depending on the child's presentation, testing may include:

• IGF-1
• IGFBP-3
• Thyroid function
• Complete blood count
• Metabolic testing
• Nutritional markers
• Additional screening for chronic illness when clinically appropriate

A random growth hormone measurement is generally not enough to determine whether a child has GHD because GH is secreted in pulses.

Imaging

A bone age X-ray of the hand and wrist may demonstrate a delayed bone age.

Bone age helps estimate skeletal maturity and remaining growth potential.

Pituitary imaging is not necessary for every short child but may be recommended when testing or clinical findings raise concern for pituitary or hypothalamic disease.

This comprehensive approach helps determine whether the growth pattern is related to:

• Constitutional growth delay
• Familial short stature
• Growth hormone deficiency
• Other abnormalities of GH signaling
• Delayed puberty
• Nutritional deficiency
• Thyroid disease
• Chronic illness
• Or normal genetic variation

Understanding IGF-1 Before Sermorelin Treatment

Parents sometimes assume that a low IGF-1 automatically means their child needs treatment to increase growth hormone.

That is not necessarily true.

IGF-1 varies according to:

• Age
• Sex
• Pubertal stage
• Nutritional status
• Growth hormone activity
• Thyroid function
• Liver function
• Chronic illness

Results should ideally be interpreted using appropriate age- and sex-based reference ranges and, when relevant, pubertal stage.

A low or low-normal IGF-1 can be one piece of the evaluation, but it should not be used by itself to diagnose GHD or determine whether sermorelin is appropriate.

Why Bone Age Matters

Bone age is one of the most useful pieces of information when evaluating a child with growth concerns.

Chronological age tells us how many years a child has been alive.

Bone age estimates how mature the skeleton has become.

A child may be 12 years old chronologically but have skeletal maturation resembling that of a younger child. Depending on the cause, this can indicate that more growth time remains than chronological age alone would suggest.

However, delayed bone age does not automatically mean a child needs treatment.

Constitutional growth delay, endocrine disorders, nutritional deficiencies, chronic illness, and other conditions can all affect skeletal maturation.

Bone age should therefore be interpreted alongside growth velocity, puberty, family history, and laboratory findings.

What Sermorelin Treatment Looks Like

When sermorelin is prescribed, it is generally administered as a subcutaneous injection.

Administration

Treatment protocols may involve:

• A small subcutaneous injection
• Regular administration according to the prescribed protocol
• Rotation of injection sites
• Periodic laboratory and growth monitoring

Historically, pediatric studies often administered sermorelin/GHRH in the evening.

The exact regimen should be determined individually by the treating clinician rather than copied from another patient's treatment plan.

Monitoring During Therapy

Any child receiving treatment intended to alter the GH/IGF-1 pathway requires medical supervision.

Monitoring may include:

• Height measurements
• Annualized growth velocity
• Weight
• IGF-1
• Pubertal progression
• Thyroid function when appropriate
• Treatment adherence
• Injection-site reactions
• Symptoms or side effects
• Repeat bone age when clinically appropriate

Growth should be assessed over meaningful intervals rather than relying on week-to-week or month-to-month changes.

The important question is not simply whether IGF-1 increases.

The more important question is:

Is the child demonstrating an appropriate improvement in linear growth without excessive hormonal exposure or accelerated skeletal maturation?

Expected Results

Response to sermorelin varies substantially depending on the child's diagnosis and ability to produce endogenous growth hormone.

Historical pediatric research demonstrates that some children experienced improved growth velocity during treatment.

However, parents should not be promised a specific number of inches or a guaranteed increase in final adult height.

Potential response depends on:

• Underlying diagnosis
• Baseline growth velocity
• Pituitary function
• Age
• Bone age
• Pubertal stage
• Genetics
• Nutrition
• Adherence
• Duration of treatment

Changes in growth velocity may become measurable during the first several months, but meaningful assessment generally requires accurate measurements over time.

Most importantly, an increase in short-term growth velocity does not necessarily translate directly into the same increase in final adult height.

What If a Child Does Not Respond?

A poor response should prompt reassessment rather than automatic dose escalation.

Clinicians may reconsider:

• Whether the original diagnosis was correct
• Medication adherence
• Injection technique
• Pituitary responsiveness
• IGF-1 response
• Thyroid function
• Nutritional status
• Pubertal progression
• Bone age advancement
• Other medical conditions affecting growth

If the pituitary cannot produce sufficient growth hormone despite stimulation, recombinant HGH may be a fundamentally different therapeutic consideration because it bypasses endogenous pituitary GH production.

Safety Profile

Historical pediatric studies generally reported that sermorelin was reasonably well tolerated.

Reported adverse effects included:

• Injection-site discomfort
• Injection-site redness
• Temporary flushing
• Headache
• Other mild treatment-related symptoms

However, the amount of modern long-term pediatric safety data available for sermorelin is much smaller than the body of evidence available for recombinant growth hormone.

Parents should therefore avoid assuming that “stimulating natural hormone production” automatically makes a therapy risk-free.

Any medication affecting growth hormone signaling should be prescribed only after appropriate evaluation and monitored throughout treatment.

Supporting Growth Naturally

Medication cannot replace the basic requirements for normal childhood growth.

Sleep

Growth hormone secretion is closely associated with sleep, particularly slow-wave sleep.

Children should receive the amount of sleep recommended for their age and maintain consistent sleep schedules.

Nutrition

Adequate caloric and nutritional intake is essential.

Important nutrients include:

• Protein
• Zinc
• Vitamin D
• Iron
• Calcium
• Magnesium

Correcting a true nutritional deficiency can improve growth when nutrition is contributing to poor development.

However, excessive supplementation does not make a healthy child grow beyond their genetic potential.

Exercise

Regular physical activity supports:

• Bone health
• Muscle development
• Cardiovascular health
• Healthy body composition
• Overall childhood development

Exercise supports healthy development but cannot correct true growth hormone deficiency.

Timing Matters

Any intervention intended to improve linear height requires remaining growth plate potential.

Potential treatment benefit generally becomes more limited as:

• Puberty progresses
• Bone age advances
• Growth velocity naturally slows
• Growth plates approach fusion

Once growth plates have completely fused, sermorelin cannot reopen them or meaningfully increase long-bone length.

This is why evaluation should occur when an abnormal growth pattern is first recognized rather than waiting until late adolescence.

Sermorelin and Constitutional Growth Delay

Children with constitutional growth delay are sometimes described as “late bloomers.”

They may:

• Be shorter than peers
• Have delayed bone age
• Enter puberty later
• Have a family history of late puberty
• Continue growing later than classmates

Constitutional growth delay is not the same as growth hormone deficiency.

Many children with this pattern ultimately achieve a height consistent with their genetic potential without growth hormone-related therapy.

The presence of delayed bone age alone therefore does not establish that sermorelin is needed.

Is Sermorelin Right for Every Child?

No.

Some children are naturally smaller because of genetics and continue to grow normally.

Others have constitutional growth delay and simply mature later.

Still others may have:

• Growth hormone deficiency
• Thyroid disease
• Nutritional problems
• Gastrointestinal disease
• Chronic medical conditions
• Genetic disorders
• Delayed puberty
• Other endocrine abnormalities

Treatment should therefore follow diagnosis—not the other way around.

The first question should not be:

“Should my child take sermorelin?”

It should be:

“Why is my child growing slowly?”

Once that question is answered, appropriate treatment options can be discussed.

Questions Parents Should Ask Before Considering Sermorelin

Before beginning treatment, parents may want to ask:

• What is my child's current height percentile?
• What is their annual growth velocity?
• Have they been crossing growth percentiles?
• What is their predicted genetic height range?
• Is bone age delayed?
• How much skeletal growth appears to remain?
• Is IGF-1 appropriate for age and pubertal stage?
• Is there evidence of true growth hormone deficiency?
• Does the pituitary appear capable of responding to stimulation?
• Why is sermorelin being considered instead of observation or recombinant HGH?
• What evidence supports its use for my child's specific diagnosis?
• How will we determine whether treatment is working?
• When would treatment be stopped or changed?

These questions can help families make treatment decisions based on objective growth data rather than height alone.

Insights from Dr. Devin Stone, ND

From a clinical perspective, one of the most important distinctions is understanding which children truly need intervention versus those who simply need time.

According to Dr. Stone:

“Growth velocity is more important than absolute height. A child consistently growing along their curve may be healthy even if they're smaller than their peers.”

“Sermorelin may be considered in selected cases where the physiology and evaluation support its use, but it should never replace a proper growth evaluation.”

“Parents should understand that sermorelin and HGH are different treatments. One stimulates the pituitary while the other provides growth hormone directly.”

“Lifestyle factors—especially adequate sleep and nutrition—are often overlooked and remain foundational components of normal childhood growth.”

“The goal is not to create abnormal growth, but to identify why a child is growing slowly and determine whether intervention is medically appropriate.”

He also emphasizes that timing matters. When an abnormal growth pattern exists, evaluating it while meaningful growth potential remains provides families with more information and potential options than waiting until the growth plates are approaching closure.

Final Thoughts

Growth concerns can be stressful for families, but being shorter than peers does not automatically mean something is wrong or that medication is necessary.

Sermorelin is a GHRH analog that stimulates the pituitary gland to release endogenous growth hormone. Historical pediatric studies demonstrate that this mechanism can increase growth velocity in some children, particularly when sufficient pituitary function remains.

At the same time, sermorelin should not be portrayed as equivalent or superior to recombinant HGH. The evidence supporting recombinant HGH for established pediatric growth disorders is substantially more extensive, while data regarding sermorelin's effect on final adult height remain limited.

The key is early, accurate evaluation followed by individualized treatment decisions based on the cause of poor growth.

If you have concerns about your child's growth, seeking guidance from a qualified medical provider is the most important first step. You can contact us to schedule a pediatric growth evaluation.

Medically Reviewed By

Dr. Devin Stone, ND

Dr. Devin Stone, ND is a licensed naturopathic doctor and founder of HGHforChildren.com. He focuses on pediatric growth evaluation, short stature assessment, delayed puberty, bone age analysis, growth hormone deficiency screening, and growth optimization programs for children and adolescents.

Dr. Stone earned his degree from Bastyr University and helps families better understand childhood growth concerns through evidence-based evaluation and individualized treatment planning. His clinical focus includes growth hormone testing, IGF-1 interpretation, bone age assessment, growth velocity monitoring, and growth-promoting interventions when medically appropriate.

Through HGHforChildren.com, Dr. Stone educates parents about childhood growth disorders, height prediction, growth velocity, skeletal maturation, and available treatment options for children who may not be reaching their expected growth potential.

Learn more about Dr. Stone and schedule a consultation with our pediatric growth team.

Medical References & Clinical Evidence

1. Thorner MO, et al. Once daily subcutaneous growth hormone-releasing hormone therapy accelerates growth in growth hormone-deficient children during the first year of therapy. Geref International Study Group. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 1996;81(3):1189–1196.
   This is one of the strongest studies for your page. In previously untreated prepubertal GH-deficient children, mean height velocity increased from approximately 4.1 cm/year at baseline to 8.0 cm/year at 6 months and 7.2 cm/year at 12 months during GHRH-(1-29)/sermorelin treatment.
   PubMed: GHRH/Sermorelin Therapy in GH-Deficient Children
2. Prakash A, Goa KL. Sermorelin: A Review of Its Use in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Children with Idiopathic Growth Hormone Deficiency. BioDrugs. 1999;12(2):139–157. doi:10.2165/00063030-199912020-00007.
   This is particularly valuable because it specifically reviews sermorelin in children. The authors found limited evidence of increased height velocity and catch-up growth in some prepubertal children with GHD, while emphasizing that effects on final adult height remained undetermined.
   PubMed: Sermorelin in Children With GHD
3. Grunt JA, Schwartz ID, Buchanan C, Howard CP. Effects of Long-Term Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone 1-29 in Significantly Short Children. Acta Paediatrica. 1995;84(6):631–633. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.1995.tb13715.x.
   This study evaluated children with significant idiopathic short stature and found that some children experienced a favorable growth response during up to two years of GHRH treatment.
   PubMed: Long-Term GHRH in Short Children
4. Savage MO, et al. Treatment with GHRH(1-29)NH2 in Children with Idiopathic Short Stature Induces a Sustained Increase in Growth Velocity. Clinical Endocrinology. 1994. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.1994.tb02580.x.
   This study of short prepubertal children reported an increase in mean growth velocity from 4.8 cm/year before treatment to 7.2 cm/year after 12 months of GHRH therapy. It is useful evidence for your section discussing potential improvements in growth velocity while also demonstrating why results shouldn't be generalized to every child.
   PubMed: GHRH and Growth Velocity in Idiopathic Short Stature
5. Venezuelan Collaborative Study Group. Long-Term Therapy with a Single Daily Subcutaneous Dose of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (1-29) in Prepubertal Growth Hormone Deficient Children. 1995.
   Among responders, growth velocity increased from approximately 3.4 cm/year before therapy to 6.8 cm/year after six months, with increased growth velocity maintained during longer treatment. Importantly, not all children responded, which supports the page's emphasis on patient selection and monitoring.
   PubMed: Long-Term GHRH Therapy in GH-Deficient Children
6. Low LCK, et al. Growth During and After a Trial of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone 1-29 in Children with Idiopathic Short Stature or Growth Hormone Neurosecretory Dysfunction. 2000.
   This study found significant increases in growth rate during GHRH treatment in short, slowly growing children, while overall growth rates returned toward pretreatment levels following discontinuation. This is useful for keeping expectations balanced.
   PubMed: Growth During and After GHRH Treatment
7. U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Sermorelin Acetate (Geref). FDA Orphan Drug Designations and Approvals database.
   The FDA records show that sermorelin acetate (Geref) received orphan designation for treatment of idiopathic or organic growth hormone deficiency in children with growth failure and received marketing approval in 1997. This is useful for documenting sermorelin's historical pediatric regulatory context, but it should not be used to imply that currently compounded sermorelin products have FDA approval for pediatric growth treatment.
   FDA: Sermorelin Acetate/Geref Record
8. Collett-Solberg PF, Ambler G, Backeljauw PF, et al. Diagnosis, Genetics, and Therapy of Short Stature in Children: A Growth Hormone Research Society International Perspective. Hormone Research in Paediatrics. 2019;92(1):1–14. doi:10.1159/000502231.
   This international expert consensus is excellent support for the broader sections of your page covering growth velocity, short stature evaluation, GH stimulation testing, genetics, diagnosis, and treatment selection.
   PubMed: Diagnosis and Treatment of Short Stature in Children
9. Cohen P, Rogol AD, Deal CL, et al. Consensus Statement on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Children with Idiopathic Short Stature. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2008;93(11):4210–4217. doi:10.1210/jc.2008-0509.
   This consensus statement is useful for supporting the distinction between idiopathic short stature, normal variation, and growth hormone deficiency, and for discussing how short children should be evaluated before treatment is considered.
   PubMed: Idiopathic Short Stature Consensus Statement
10. Pediatric Endocrine Society. Growth Hormone Deficiency: A Guide for Families.
    This is a useful authoritative clinical reference for your general sections covering pituitary function, causes of GHD, growth patterns, testing, and treatment. The Pediatric Endocrine Society notes that growth hormone deficiency is a relatively rare cause of childhood growth failure and discusses congenital and acquired causes.
    Pediatric Endocrine Society: Growth Hormone Deficiency