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Latest US Drug Overdose: Hormones for Short Kids

Prevalence of 'lifestyle drugs' when some have no healthcare indictment of system

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 31, 2008 1:55 PM CDT

(Newser) – Since 2003, when the FDA relaxed restrictions on the use of growth hormone (GH) for children, more parents have been looking to give their shortest offspring a leg up in the world. But while many health professionals agree that taller kids may have higher self-esteem, dosing the short ones may not be worth it, Rahul Parikh writes for Salon.

Short stature probably isn't as bad on the psyche as people think: despite oft-cited examples such as Napoleon, most small people are as well adjusted as their tall peers. The bigger picture, the doctor writes, shows how broken the US health care system is: “What other country in the world can offer pricey enhancements and call it medical care, and at the same time have millions of children unable to get access to basic medical services?”

[Images (4)]

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Sebastian Ferrero was small for his age, and doctors recommended testing to determine if he might be a candidate for growth hormone therapy. He died after a medical mistake. (AP Photo/Family photo)

Some parents worry that smaller-than-average children will be subject to more ridicule at school, and will go as far as to pay $50,000 to give their kids an extra 1-2 inches of height. (Flickr)

Until 1985, growth hormone was expensive and difficult to come by, since it had to be extracted from dead bodies. Once synthetic GH was invented, availability spiked, and so did use. (Getty Images)

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), Emperor of France, was of famously short stature; his famously large ego is cited as a reason for helping kids grow taller. (Getty Images)

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That's the magic of lifestyle drugs: You create vast new markets with the fruits of your labor by feeding into people's insecurities and fantasies of success. - Rahul K. Parikh

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Latest US Drug Overdose: Hormones for Short Kids