18 Years old with growth question.

[AdmiralRuffles]

Hello all,

I'm 18 years old and in University. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at the age of 14. When I was diagnosed I was put on Prednisone and I was on it for about 9 months, with imuran at the same time. (which, i'm still on today) Around early 2010 I had another flare up, and I was put on prednisone in around May. The prednisone didn't put me in remission and now i'm on Remicade.

My question to all of you is do you know anyone with Crohn's disease who has grown after the age of 18 with the history of all of these drugs? I'm about 5'8" tall and I look pretty young for my age. I know i'm meant to be taller, my mom is around my height now and my dad is about 5'11". My brother is an astounding 6'5" (20 years old) and my sister is around 5'7" (22 years old). I'm 18, like I said, and I would very much like another growth spurt to occur. Is this false hope or is it possible?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lorraine]

I don't see your gender listed and my answer would vary dependent on that.

Independent of Crohn's, my understanding (from my childhood pediatrician) is that most women only grow in height for about 2 years give or take after they hit puberty. I don't know if that figure still holds true as more and more girls are hitting puberty at age 8, etc, but it was quite accurate for me and most of my friends. I was late (15) and pretty well stopped growing by 17. Most of my friends who got theirs in elementary or early middle school wound up much shorter than me.

Many men grow into their twenties. If I recall correctly my parents claim my dad grew another inch after they got married when he was 23. My brother did much the same.

Obviously this doesn't answer your question as it pertains to GI conditions, but it's an answer of sorts.

 

[effdee]

There are a number of variables involved. Your bone age (compared to your chronological age) can help determine if you'll still be able to grow. Having active Crohn's can stunt growth as the body has to try to deal with all of those effects in addition to growing, which sort of gets put on the back-burner. I've heard prednisone can stunt growth, but I've also heard doctors say it doesn't. Growth also has to do with how much you eat. If you aren't getting enough calories, you won't grow much.

I was 5'2" at 17 after having pretty severe Crohn's and a lot of time on Prednisone (was on it most of the time at some dose from 11-17). I was referred to a pediatric endocrinologist who got a bone age scan (x-ray of your wrist) to determine whether or not I had time to grow. I did, so I was then tested to see if my body was producing growth hormone naturally. It's an overnight test where blood is drawn periodically throughout the night, as you only produce growth hormone while asleep. I was found to not be producing much and was prescribed growth hormone. In 2 years, I grew to 5'6.5". I would have grown more if I had eaten even more, and if I didn't have a flare-up towards the end of the 2 year period.

So, yes, it is very possible that you will grow more. It sounds like it would be worthwhile to make an appointment with an endocrinologist and see what can be done. If you have more questions, I can do my best to answer them. Hope this helps!