Drug boosts growth in children with dwarfism: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

Drug boosts growth in children with dwarfism: Study | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

By PTI |Melbourne |Updated: June 21, 2019 12:45:30 pm

Drug boosts growth in children with dwarfism: Study

Achondroplasia is a genetic bone disorder affecting about one in every 25,000 infants. It is caused by a mutation in the FGFR3 gene that impairs the growth of bones in the limbs, the spine, and base of the skull.

The most common health complications experienced by children with achondroplasia are spinal cord compression, spinal curvature and bowed legs. About half of these children will need spinal or other surgery. (Representative photo: istock/Getty Images Plus)

A ground-breaking drug that helps regulate bone development may boost growth rates in children with achondroplasia — the most common type of dwarfism — according to scientists who conducted a global trial.