ABSTRACT
Of 449 children aged 6-9 years with heights below the first centile in a total population of 48 221, only 1 had previously undiagnosed hypothyroidism. In a community with well developed health services hypothyroidism is unlikely to be the cause of short stature among primary school children.
Subject(s)
Body Height , Thyrotropin/blood , Thyroxine/blood , Child , Female , Humans , Hypothyroidism/diagnosis , MaleABSTRACT
Four hundred and forty-nine children with heights below -2.5 SD were identified by screening for height a total population of 48221 in three Scottish cities. Children participating in the study could be classified into 5 groups: severe growth hormone deficiency (n = 13), partial growth hormone deficiency (n = 25), low birthweight short stature (n = 34), constitutional short stature (n = 178), and short stature associated with some underlying disease (n = 106). Children with growth hormone deficiency tended to be shorter, were more likely to be obese, were growing more slowly, more often were the products of an abnormal pregnancy, and were less socially disadvantaged than constitutionally short children. Their parents were also more likely to have sought medical advice about the short stature. These findings have important implications for improved case-finding of children suffering from growth-hormone deficiency, who in this study accounted for about 10% of all short but otherwise normal children who came from non-disadvantaged communities.
Subject(s)
Body Height , Growth Disorders/etiology , Growth Hormone/deficiency , Age Factors , Anthropometry , Body Constitution , Child , Female , Growth Disorders/classification , Humans , Infant, Low Birth Weight , Infant, Newborn , Male , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications , Sex Factors , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Four hundred and forty-nine short children, who were all over 2-5 standard deviations below the mean height for age, were identified by screening the heights of 48 221 6- to 9-year-old children in three Scottish cities. Most were screened for growth hormone deficiency (GHD). The prevalence of severe GHD in this sample may have been as high as 1 in 4018, much higher than reported. The findings suggest that present referral patterns may account for the delayed or missed diagnosis of the condition in girls or children with less severe short stature.
