Short Stature
Aka: Short Stature, Short Stature for Age, Delayed Linear Growth, Delayed Growth, Growth Delay
II. Exam: General
- See Weight Measurement in Children
- See Height Measurement in Children
- See Body Mass Index
- See Weight for Height Age
- See Height Velocity
- See Midparental Height
- See Dysmorphic features in Congenital Dysorders
III. Exam: Findings suggestive of collagen bone disease
- Examples
- Osteochondrodysplasia
- Metaphyseal dysostosis
- Extremely Short
- Disproportionate shortness (“Dwarf”)
- Arms and legs short compared with trunk
- Proportionate shortness
- “China Doll” Shortness
- Disproportionate shortness (“Dwarf”)
- Abnormal measurements
IV. Exam: Term Newborn
- Micropenis (size <2.8 cm stretched)
- Assess for Luteinizing hormone deficiency
- Associated with panhypopituitarism
- Congenital Nystagmus
- Assess for septo-optic dysplasia
- Associated with Growth Hormone Deficiency
- Small for Gestational Age
- Catch-up growth results in normalization of growth curve by 2 years old in 90% of cases
- Pathologic Delayed Growth may be considered if no catch up growth is evident in the first 6 months of life
- SGA Infants may have delayed catch-up growth in 10% of cases
- SGA Preterm Infants may not attain normal height for age until age 4 years
V. Diagnostics
- Bone Age Films
- Formal dental exam for dental age
VI. Labs: Routine
- Hepatic and Renal Disease
- Urinalysis
- Chemistry panel (Chem8)
- Liver Function Test
- Anemia Evaluation
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Celiac Sprue
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
- C-Reactive Protein
- Tissue transglutaminase antibodies
- Endocrine (Growth Hormone Deficiency, Hypothyroidism)
- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
- Insulinlike Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) – consult local endocrinology
- Turner Syndrome
- Karyotype
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
VII. Differential Diagnosis (with specific related evaluation)
- Normal tests, evaluation and Bone Age Films
- Familial Short Stature
- Idiopathic Short Stature
- Normal tests and evaluation with a minimally delayed Bone Age Film
- Medication causes
- Chronic Corticosteroids
- Stimulant Medications for Attention Deficit Disorder
- Anticonvulsants
- Abnormal tests or evaluation with a normal Bone Age Film (requires further evaluation)
- Iron Deficiency Anemia
- Inflammatory conditions
- Dysmorphic features present – Refer to geneticist and endocrinologist
- Down Syndrome
- Noonan Syndrome
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Russell-Silver Syndrome
- Skeletal Dysplasia
- Turner Syndrome
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
- Achondroplasia
- Abnormal labs or evaluation with delayed Bone Age imaging
- Gluten-sensitive Enteropathy (Celiac Disease)
- Tissue transglutaminase antibodies
- Antiendomysial Antibody titers
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
- C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
- Endoscopy with biopsy
- Chronic Renal Insufficiency
- Urinalysis
- Serum Creatine and GFR estimate
- Cystic Fibrosis (typically age <2 at diagnosis)
- Sweat Chloride testing
- Cushing Disease
- Growth Hormone Deficiency (acquired or congenital)
- IGF-1
- IGF-binding protein #3
- Hypothyroidism
- Vitamin D Deficiency (Rickets)
- 25-hydroxyvitamin D
- 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D
- Parathyroid Hormone
- Gluten-sensitive Enteropathy (Celiac Disease)
VIII. Evaluation
- Indications for evaluation
- Height >2 SD below mean for age (or <3rd percentile)
- Growth Velocity <5 cm (2 in) per year
- Projected height <2 SD (10 cm) below Midparental Height
- Approach
- Determine if growth is truly delayed (see indications above)
- Determine when Growth Delay began (in-utero, perinatal or childhood)
- Determine cause if possible
- Only 5% of Short Stature referrals have an identifiable pathologic cause
- Most common identifiable causes
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Consider Celiac Sprue or Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Pediatric Gastroenterology Referral
- Endocrinology symptoms
- Consider cortisol excess or Hypothyroidism
- Pediatric Endocrinology Referral
- Dysmorphic proportional
- Consider Genetic Syndromes (e.g. Down Syndrome, Turner Syndrome)
- Dysmorphic non-proportional
- Consider chondrodystrophy
- Normal Growth Velocity (>5 cm/year) and delayed Bone Age
- Constitutional Growth Delay (or Delayed Puberty)
- Normal Growth Velocity (>5 cm/year) and normal Bone Age, with projected height consistent with Midparental Height
- Decreased Growth Velocity (<5 cm/year) and delayed Bone Age (with normal or increased weight)
- Consider endocrine conditions
IX. Management: Pediatric Endocrinology Referral Indications
- Children with IUGR
- Failure to catch up to their growth curve percentile by 2 years old
- Failure to follow expected growth
- Height >3 SD below mean height for age
- Growth Velocity <5 cm (2 in) per year
- Projected height >2 SD (10 cm or 4 inches) below Midparental Height
- Bone Age >2 SD below Chronological age
- Delayed onset of Puberty
- Girls >13 years old
- Boys >14 years old
- Conditions indicating treatment with recombinant Growth Hormone
- Growth Hormone Deficiency
- Turner Syndrome
- Chronic Renal Failure
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Small for Gestational Age
- Noonan Syndrome
- Short Stature homeobox-containing gene deficiency
- Idiopathic Short Stature