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Types of Growth Disorders

Some children experience slow growth due to factors such as diet, emotional stress, or disease. For a small number of children and adults, their short stature is caused by a medical condition that either slows or stops growth. Norditropin® is used to treat some of these conditions.

What does small for gestational age mean?

At birth, a baby’s weight and length are recorded. Babies with a birth weight and/or length below the 2.3rd percentile are classified as born small for gestational age (SGA).

What is gestational age?

Gestational age is the age of a baby starting from the time he or she was conceived. Most infants are born at 37 to 41 weeks of gestation. The comparison of a newborn’s measurements to expected characteristics is called a gestational age assessment.

Why is a child born SGA?

About 95,000 children born in the United States each year are shorter and lighter than normal. The cause is not always clear, but an infant may be born SGA because of a genetic defect, problems with the placenta, or health issues with the mother—such as heart disease, malnutrition, or drug, alcohol, or cigarette use.

Do babies born SGA “catch up”?

Babies born SGA should be carefully monitored for growth. Most will reach normal size and height by the time they’re 2 years old. Premature babies (born before 37 weeks of gestation) may take up to age 4 to catch up. If your child was born SGA, be sure to consult with your doctor about his or her growth.

If no catch-up growth happens by age 2 to 3, your child may need a referral to a pediatric endocrinologist, a doctor who specializes in hormone diseases in children. The endocrinologist will find out if there is any other reason, such as a nutritional problem or inherited disease, that is keeping your child from catching up in growth.

How is SGA diagnosed?

The doctor may take an X-ray of your child’s hand and wrist. The X-ray will show his or her bone age, which can help predict your child’s final adult height, and can show if your child still has room for growth.

For many parents, facing the possibility of a growth hormone disorder leads to some worries, as well as many questions. By asking your child’s doctor targeted questions, you can learn your options and decide on next steps together.

After the diagnosis.

After diagnosing your child with SGA, the doctor may recommend certain treatments, which may help your child with catch-up growth. If treatment is recommended, your doctor will likely ask for regular follow-up visits to monitor your child’s growth and make sure that treatment is working well.

Find support.

Parents and caregivers of children with growth disorders can find support, community, and education through growth-related patient organizations, such as the MAGIC Foundation.

See all Patient Advocacy Groups

Norditropin® stories.

Learn more about what life is like for families whose children are being treated with Norditropin®.

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Next: Talking to Your Doctor

FAQ highlights:

What is growth hormone?

How does growth hormone work?

What could happen if GHD is not treated?

Related links:

Evaluation & Diagnosis

FAQs

Selected Important Safety Information

Do not use Norditropin® if: you have a critical illness caused by certain types of heart or stomach surgery, trauma or breathing (respiratory) problems; you are a child with Prader-Willi syndrome who is severely obese or has breathing problems including sleep apnea; you have cancer or other tumors; you are allergic to somatropin or any of the ingredients in Norditropin®; your healthcare provider tells you that you have certain types of eye problems caused by diabetes (diabetic retinopathy); you are a child with closed bone growth plates (epiphyses).

Indications and Usage

What is Norditropin® (somatropin) injection?
 
Norditropin® is a prescription medicine that contains human growth hormone and is used to treat:
  • children who are not growing because of low or no growth hormone 
  • children who are short (in stature) and who have Noonan syndrome, Turner syndrome, or were born small (small for gestational age-SGA) and have not caught-up in growth by age 2 to 4 years 
  • children who have Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS) 
  • children who are not growing who have Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) 
  • adults who do not make enough growth hormone

Important Safety Information (cont’d)

Before taking Norditropin®, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have had heart or stomach surgery, trauma or serious breathing (respiratory problems) 
  • have had a history of problems breathing while you sleep (sleep apnea) 
  • have or have had cancer or any tumor 
  • have diabetes 
  • are pregnant or breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant or breastfeed

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Norditropin® may affect how other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how Norditropin® works.

How should I use Norditropin®?

  • Use Norditropin® exactly as your health care provider tells you to 
  • Do not share your Norditropin® pens and needles with another person even if the needle has been changed. You may give another person an infection or get an infection from them.

What are the possible side effects of Norditropin®?
Norditropin® may cause serious side effects, including:

  • high risk of death in people who have critical illnesses because of heart or stomach surgery, trauma or serious breathing (respiratory) problems 
  • high risk of sudden death in children with Prader-Willi syndrome who are severely obese or have breathing problems including sleep apnea 
  • increased risk of growth of cancer or a tumor that is already present and increased risk of the return of cancer or a tumor in people who were treated with radiation to the brain or head as children and who developed low growth hormone problems. Contact the healthcare provider if you or your child start to have headaches, or have changes in behavior, changes in vision, or changes in moles, birthmarks, or the color of your skin 
  • new or worsening high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or diabetes 
  • increase in pressure in the skull (intracranial hypertension). If you or your child has headaches, eye problems, nausea or vomiting, contact the healthcare provider 
  • serious allergic reactions. Get medical help right away if you or your child has the following symptoms: swelling of your face, lips, mouth or tongue, trouble breathing, wheezing, severe itching, skin rashes, redness or swelling, dizziness or fainting, fast heartbeat or pounding in your chest, or sweating 
  • your body holding too much fluid (fluid retention) such as swelling in the hands and feet, pain in your joints or muscles or nerve problems that cause pain, burning, or tingling in the hands, arms, legs and feet. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of these signs or symptoms of fluid retention. 
  • decrease in a hormone called cortisol. Tell your or your child’s healthcare provider if you or your child has darkening of the skin, severe fatigue, dizziness, weakness or weight loss 
  • decrease in thyroid hormone levels 
  • hip and knee pain or a limp in children (slipped capital femoral epiphysis) 
  • worsening of pre-existing curvature of the spine (scoliosis) 
  • severe and constant abdominal pain can be a sign of pancreatitis. Tell your or your child’s healthcare provider if you or your child has any new abdominal pain. 
  • loss of fat and tissue weakness in the area of skin you inject 
  • increase in phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and parathyroid hormone levels in your blood

The most common side effects of Norditropin® include:

  • injection site reactions and rashes, and headaches

Please click here for Norditropin® Prescribing Information.

Norditropin® is a prescription medication.

Novo Nordisk provides patient assistance for those who qualify. Please call 1-866-310-7549 to learn more about Novo Nordisk assistance programs.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800- FDA-1088.

Talk to your health care provider and find out if Norditropin® is right for you or your child.