Young people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (UC) often continue to grow in height beyond the typical time of growth-plate closure, according to new findings.

Radiographic closure of the growth plates, which marks the end of statural growth, typically occurs in females around age 15 and in males around 17, the US authors say.

They investigated statural growth beyond expected skeletal maturation in more than 3000 people in a paediatric IBD registry, about three-quarters of whom had Crohn’s.

All had their height measured on three or more visits at least six months apart.