Short Stature: Is It a Psychosocial Problem and Does Changing Height Matter?

Some proponents of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment in growth hormone-sufficient children cite height, as an isolated physical characteristic, as being associated with psychosocial morbidity. Others question the reliability of the evidence underpinning the quality-of-life rationale for treatment as well as the bioethics of rhGH treatment. The following questions are addressed: (1) Is short stature an obstacle to positive psychosocial adjustment? and (2) Does increasing height with rhGH treatment make a difference to the person's psychosocial adaptation and quality of life? Three clinical case examples are used to illustrate the complexities associated with decision-making surrounding rhGH use.