How China drugmakers feed on parent anxiety over child's height

Hormone treatment to make kids taller likened by some to cosmetic surgery

20211102 Caixin China drug conceptual RC2MVF9F72SS

Human growth hormone treatment for children is in high demand in China, even when there is no medical abnormality.  © Reuters

ZHAO JINZHAO, CHEN XI, XIANG KAI, GUI YIXUAN and DENISE JIA, Caixin

The career of Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Andres Messi almost ended before it began. As a child, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, and his family could not afford the treatment. Eventually, a club agreed to pay his medical bills. Now 170 cm tall, Messi is widely considered the best player in the world.

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