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Bone age & advanced growth

Hi, my son is 10 years and 2 months old, height 152cm and weighs 56kg. I have been noticing his rapid development since birth. He has always been beyond the 97th percentile in the growth chart. Recent pead visit suggested me to do hormone growth and igf blood test. All shows within normal range. However, his bone age of left hand & wrist indicated that he is 13years and 6 months old. Is it alarming? What does it indicate?
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Avatar universal
I really don't know the exact answer to your question, but wanted to add that this can be normal. My father was almost full grown by the age of 14. Some children just develop at different rates, and I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it's causing other health concerns/problems.
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Avatar universal
Hi, I know this post is really old but I’m hoping to maybe get an answer. My son is 11 and has an advanced bone age of 13. We were told to try anastrazole. I am not big on meds so I’m reluctant to put him on it. Where did your son end up with his height? Did you treat him with any medicines at all for height? Thanks
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What did you decide to do?  We are in a similar situation.  My son is 10 bone age 12.  Doctor is suggesting anastrozole and lupron.  
As of right now we are holding off on meds. He is growing but still just a little each year. He hasn’t hit a growth spurt yet but I’m hoping he does very soon. My son is 4’6” now and I worry so much that he is not going to reach anywhere near his mid parental height. How tall is your son? We have seen an endocrinologist who thinks anastrazole would be a good way for him to get closer to his potential, but I am so scared to put him onedicines just to gain a few inches. He has no other signs of any underlying issues.
My son is 5'1" and has early puberty.  We have decided to give him anastrozole and are going today to get all of his hormones tested.  We are considering Lupron because he is going through puberty early to help delay everything.  It is really scary to me too.  I am giving liquid vitamins everyday to help give him vitamin D, etc.
Good luck with the Dr. visit. We found out my son had an advanced bone age when he was 10. They told us he was a little on the early side but within normal range of starting puberty. They told us we couldn’t stop puberty at that point because it could affect his bone density in the long run. Since you said your dr recommended Lupron to stop puberty I’m wondering why that wasn’t an option for my son. My son has a projected height of 5’5”. What is your sons projected height?
Our story is quite different from most who have a child with advanced bone age. My son has always been so small for his age (usually 20th percentile). Everything I’ve read usually children are tall for their age but stop growing sooner than others, so end up shorter in the long run. Is that the case with your son? Sorry for all the questions! I hope you don’t mind me asking.
Our appointment went fine, I think.  The projected height with Lupron and Anastrozole is 5'10".  I am not sure exactly what his projected height would be without anything, but they indicated that he could be almost finished growing depending on how fast his puberty goes.  During the first appointment, I was more focused on the early puberty question and it potentially progressing rapidly.  My son is too tall for his age.

I am very concerned about Lupron and bone density.  Its good to know that they told you it could not be stopped at 10 years old because we are being given different information.  My son is at Tanner 3 stage of puberty.  We are going for a second opinion and it concerns me that lupron wasn't an option for you guys.

We know a little boy that is getting growth hormones to help with his height.  He is in the 5th percentile.  He has started growing.  
Are you going to give him the Lupron? That will stop his puberty, correct? My son is end of stage 2 beginning stage 3.  Do you know if the Lupron will make his puberty completely stop it just slow it down? Also does it make where he is at now regress or will he stay at stage 3? Did your endo say anything about how it will affect his bone density? I would like to stop my sons puberty so he can grow more. I am going to call our dr and talk to her about it. Thank you!
I don't know if we will give him Lupron or not.  In a couple, weeks we will get results of the stimulation test to see if he really needs Lupron and then we will discuss in detail.  I don't know if it will stop puberty or just slow it down. We have not talked about all the side effects yet.
If you don’t mind keep me posted. I am going to call our endo and speak further about other options. Thank you!
We went for a second opinion and they recommended Lipton too.
Are you going to put him on Lupron? Has he started the anastrazole yet? I am really concerned that we weren’t given that option. We have actually been to 3 different Endocrinologist and not one of them has mentioned Lupron to us. How old did you say your son is? What stage did you say he is in of puberty?
Yes, we have started anastrozole.  My son is 10 years 7 months.  He is at a Tanner Stage 3 of puberty.  This past year he did have a huge growth spurt.  We are probably going to put him on Lupron once all the approvals are in place.
Is the anastrazole given in pill form? Is it taken daily? Is it an expensive medicine? Is your son having any side effects from the medicine at all? Thanks for the info. I appreciate you keeping me posted. My son seems to be growing a little but still not as much as you might expect. I hope to see a big growth spurt very soon.
Yes, the anastrozole is a tiny white pill.  My son takes it every night at 7pm.  Our out of pocket was $0 and the insurance paid less than $10 for a one month supply.  

If he hasn't had a big growth spurt, then his puberty is probably not as far along as my sons.  I have been told that its better if the growth spurt is later.  
I don't think he is having any side effects.  He may have a couple pimples, but he might have those anyway.
That’s great he isn’t having any side effects. I hope you don’t think I’m being nosey by asking you all these questions. I am just still on the fence about what to do about our son. It helps having someone to talk to that is in a similar situation. Thanks so much for staying in touch with me.
I am in the same situation.  I am nervous about the medicine too.  The only consolation I have really found is that the kids that had good results from taking the medicine are not going to post things online because they have moved on with their lives.  I also do not know the medical history of those that had bad side effects and how closely they were monitored by professionals.
Hey, just wanted to check and see how your son is doing on the meds? Has he started the Lupron yet? If so how is that going? We still haven’t made up our minds on whether to put our son on medication. It’s such a hard decision. I hope all is well for your son!!
He is doing fine.  We have not started lupron.  We have to get insurance pre-approval. ditto.  
Fyi - We are still taking the anastrozole.  No problems.  We have not gotten insurance approval for lupron.  I am starting to worry that it maybe too late to start lupron because his puberty is progressing.  How is your son doing?  Is he growing?
Hey, I am so glad that he is doing well on the anastrazole. Is he growing ? Are you seeing any side effects from the anastrazole at all? I can’t believe how long it is taking to get the approval for Lupron. What is the hold up?
My son is growing a little but we’ve still not seen a big growth spurt. I have noticed his jeans are starting to look like high waters, so that’s a good sign. We are due to take him back in a few months to the endocrinologist. If he still hasn’t grown much we will likely put him on the anastrazole. I have started to notice a few pimples on his face, but other than that not much has changed. What are you seeing that lets you know your son is progressing through puberty? Would love to hear back from you! Thanks so much for keeping me posted.
Yes, he is still growing.  He always has a couple pimples.  Clearasil is key.  He is getting hairier.  I found out they did not send the paper work to the insurance company or it did not go through.  So frustrating.  Hopefully, it will be any day now.  All the waiting stresses me out because then its like I still have to keep thinking about whether we are making the correct choice.  Wish you well.
Hey I haven’t talked to you in a while. I wanted to see how things are going. Has your son started the Lupron yet? How is his growth? Just checking in. Thanks!
Yes, he is on Lupron and anastrozole.  Its going okay.  He has grown about an inch and a half.  I just hope he keeps growing.   How are you guys doing?  
Hey wanted to ask you a few questions. We just recently took my son back to the dr and his bone age is now 13 1/2 and he is 11 yrs 8 months old.  They want us to start anastrazole ASAP. I wanted to check with you and see if your son has had another bone scan since he started the meds? I was curious to see if it’s slowing things down at all. They also mentioned possibly putting him on Lupron to stop puberty but I’m not sure about that since he’s so far into it already. How old is your son vs his bone age?
We have not had another bone scan.  We have not experienced any problems with the medicines.  We are doing both anastrozole and lupron.  He does take a vitamin d supplement.  My son does not like getting the lupron shot, but otherwise he does not seemed phased.  He is still growing.   If you are considering lupron, I would go ahead and aske them to get approval because it takes a while.  
Did you guys decide to do anything?
Hey! Nice to hear from you. It has been a while. We took my son to the dr about 5 months ago and they say his bone age was 13 1/2 years and he was 11 1/2 at the time. He is staying right around 2 years advanced in age. He hasn’t been growing much at all. We still haven’t started any medicine, although they recommended anastrazole. We just aren’t sure if the meds are worth the outcome and risks. They said he may only get an extra inch from the meds, maybe nothing at all. How is your son doing? Has he had any recent bone age scans? If so how much have the meds helped? I am really hoping my son has a big growth spurt this summer. Would love to hear back from you!
Our son is doing well.  We have not had any additional bone scans done.  The meds have definitely slowed his puberty down.  It is scary, but I am hopeful that its the right thing for him.  Only time will tell.  Hope your son is doing well.
My son is doing well! I hope yours is also! Is he having any side effects at all? How long has it been since he had a bone scan? When do they plan to do another one?
I don't think he has had any side effects.  He did get a mild rash on his arm, but I don't know if it was related.   Last bone scan was in August.  I don't know, when we will need another one.
Avatar universal
Sounds good.  Its nice to find another parent similarly situated.
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Avatar universal
Potential etiologies of advanced bone age include:
- familial tall stature
- excessive sex hormone
- juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- hemophilia
- radiation-induced growth deformities
- hyperthyroidism
- hypothalamic mass
- adrenocortical tumor or adrenal hyperplasia
- ectopic gonadotropin tumor
- polyostotic fibrous dysplasia/McCune Albright
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