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Children with chronic conditions: the importance of growth assessment

T H Lipman1, H J McKnight

  • 1University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, 420 Guardian Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

Nurse Practitioner Forum
|February 28, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Children with chronic conditions require careful growth assessment. Subspecialty services often underestimate growth issues, overlooking treatable causes of poor growth and short stature.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Child Health

Background:

  • Growth assessment is vital for all children.
  • Children with chronic conditions often have their growth inadequately evaluated.
  • Common misconceptions lead to underassessment of growth issues in these children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the critical need for thorough growth assessment in children with chronic conditions.
  • To address the inadequacy of growth evaluation by subspecialty services.
  • To emphasize that growth failure may have treatable causes beyond the primary condition.

Main Methods:

  • Review of common beliefs and practices in assessing growth in children with chronic illnesses.
  • Analysis of potential contributing factors to growth failure.
  • Emphasis on the role of primary care providers in growth monitoring.

Main Results:

  • Subspecialty services often hold incorrect beliefs about growth in chronically ill children.
  • Growth failure may stem from factors other than the chronic condition itself.
  • Primary care providers may not adequately assess growth in these vulnerable children.

Conclusions:

  • Growth abnormalities in children with chronic conditions should not be overlooked.
  • Comprehensive growth assessment is essential, even when a chronic condition is present.
  • Addressing growth issues can lead to improved health outcomes for children with chronic illnesses.

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