Child surrounded by glowing vines, symbolizing growth from biologic therapy.

Biologic Therapies: Can They Help Kids with Inflammatory Diseases Grow Taller?

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Lena Voss in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 4 min read.

"A new study explores how biologic drugs can combat growth stunting in children with chronic inflammatory conditions, offering hope for improved height and overall well-being."


Chronic inflammatory connective tissue diseases (CTDs) can throw a wrench into a child's development, and one of the most concerning complications is stunted growth. These diseases, which include juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), directly inflame the musculoskeletal system and often require treatment with glucocorticoids, both of which can significantly hinder a child's growth velocity.

For parents, watching their child struggle with a CTD is heartbreaking, and the added worry of growth impairment can feel overwhelming. Traditional treatments often come with a difficult choice: manage the inflammation but risk suppressing growth, or try to mitigate side effects and potentially allow the disease to progress. It's a tough balance, and finding the right path can be a maze of uncertainty.

But there's good news on the horizon! A recent study investigated the impact of biologic therapies on growth in children with CTDs, offering a beacon of hope for families seeking better outcomes. Biologic agents, designed to target specific components of the immune system, have shown promise in not only controlling inflammation but also in restoring normal growth patterns. Let's dive into the details of this research and explore how these innovative treatments could help children with CTDs reach their full potential.

How Do Biologic Therapies Work to Promote Growth?

Child surrounded by glowing vines, symbolizing growth from biologic therapy.

Biologic therapies are a game-changer in the treatment of CTDs because they address the root cause of growth impairment. Unlike traditional treatments that broadly suppress the immune system, biologics target specific molecules, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), which drive inflammation. By precisely blocking these inflammatory signals, biologics can:

But that's not all! Biologic therapies also have an indirect, yet significant, impact on growth by reducing the need for glucocorticoids. These powerful anti-inflammatory drugs are often a first-line treatment for CTDs, but they come with a hefty price tag: significant side effects, including growth suppression. By effectively controlling inflammation with biologics, doctors can often lower the dose of glucocorticoids, minimizing their negative impact on a child's growth.

  • Reduce Inflammation: By targeting specific inflammatory molecules, biologics dampen the inflammatory response within the musculoskeletal system, allowing for healthier bone and cartilage development.
  • Restore Hormone Balance: Chronic inflammation can disrupt the delicate balance of hormones crucial for growth, such as growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor. Biologics help restore this balance, creating a more favorable environment for growth.
  • Minimize Glucocorticoid Use: By effectively controlling inflammation, biologics often allow doctors to reduce the dosage of glucocorticoids, minimizing their growth-suppressing effects.
A study published in "Reumatologia" in 2015, researchers Joanna Świdrowska, Agnieszka Zygmunt, and their team, tracked 24 children with CTDs who were treated with biologic therapies. The results were encouraging: a significant number of patients experienced accelerated growth velocity, and many were able to reduce their daily doses of glucocorticoids. This suggests that biologic agents can indeed restore growth velocity by both directly inhibiting inflammation and indirectly limiting GCS daily doses.

The Takeaway: A Brighter Future for Kids with CTDs

The findings of this study offer a reassuring message to families dealing with the challenges of CTDs: biologic therapies hold significant promise for restoring normal growth in children. By targeting the root causes of inflammation and reducing the need for harmful steroids, these innovative treatments can help children with CTDs reach their full growth potential and enjoy a better quality of life. If you're concerned about your child's growth while managing a CTD, talk to your doctor about whether biologic therapy might be a suitable option.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

How do biologic therapies help children with inflammatory diseases grow?

Biologic therapies are designed to target specific components of the immune system to reduce inflammation, unlike traditional treatments that suppress the entire immune system. They work by blocking inflammatory signals, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). This helps to reduce inflammation in the musculoskeletal system, allowing for healthier bone and cartilage development. These therapies also restore hormone balance and minimize the use of glucocorticoids, powerful anti-inflammatory drugs known to suppress growth.

2

Why are glucocorticoids a concern in treating inflammatory diseases in children?

Glucocorticoids are often used to treat chronic inflammatory connective tissue diseases (CTDs), but they have significant side effects, including growth suppression. While they effectively manage inflammation, they can hinder a child's growth velocity. Biologic therapies can reduce the need for glucocorticoids by controlling inflammation, thus minimizing their negative impact on growth. This allows for a more balanced approach to managing CTDs without sacrificing growth potential.

3

How do chronic inflammatory connective tissue diseases (CTDs) affect a child's growth?

Chronic inflammatory connective tissue diseases (CTDs) can interfere with a child's development, leading to stunted growth. These diseases, like juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), inflame the musculoskeletal system, directly affecting bone and cartilage development. The inflammation and treatments, such as glucocorticoids, can disrupt hormone balance and hinder growth velocity. Addressing CTDs is crucial for a child's overall well-being and long-term health.

4

What kind of results have been seen from using biologic therapies to treat growth issues related to inflammatory conditions?

Biologic therapies have shown significant promise in helping children with chronic inflammatory connective tissue diseases (CTDs) achieve normal growth. By targeting the root causes of inflammation and reducing the need for growth-suppressing glucocorticoids, these treatments can help children reach their full growth potential. The study mentioned showed that a significant number of patients experienced accelerated growth velocity and were able to reduce their glucocorticoid doses, indicating improved growth outcomes.

5

What inflammatory molecules do biologic therapies target to promote growth?

Biologic therapies target specific molecules that drive inflammation, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). By precisely blocking these inflammatory signals, biologics reduce inflammation within the musculoskeletal system. This allows for healthier bone and cartilage development. Additionally, biologics restore the balance of hormones crucial for growth, such as growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor, creating a favorable environment for normal growth patterns.

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