Etiological profile of short stature

To study the frequency of various causes of short stature and their etiological contribution in a referral endocrinology and metabolism clinic at a tertiary care hospital.

352 children with growth retardation attending endocrine clinic between Feb 1999 to Mar 2001 were investigated for etiology of short stature. Agrawal's growth chart was used for percentiles and height velocity. Various relevant radiological, biochemical and hormonal investigations were performed.

Normal variant short stature was the most common cause of short stature followed by endocrine causes.

In males most common cause of short stature was constitutional growth delay, while in females most common cause of short stature was familial short stature.