Short stature at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria

Twenty four patients were evaluated for short stature at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, over a seven year period. Fourteen were males, 10 were females and their ages ranged from 6 to 23 years at first presentation. Nine out of the 10 females came to the hospital primarily because of failure of sexual development whereas only 1 of the 14 males presented with this complaint. The causes of short stature were as follows: idiopathic hypopituitarism in 5 (20.8%) patients (4 males, 1 female), gonadal dysgenesis in 5 patients (all females), syndrome of hepatosplenomegaly, dwarfism and poor sexual development in 5 patients (all males); 2 (8.3%) patients had hypothalamic-pituitary lesions, 2 had juvenile hypothyroidism and 1 (4.2%) had sickle cell hemoglobinopathy; the cause of the short stature was not certain in 4 (16.7%) patients. This is perhaps the first time that the syndrome of hepatosplenomegaly of uncertain etiology with delayed growth and sexual maturation previously reported in Iranian and Egyptian adolescents, is being described in black Africans. Although comprehensive hormonal data were not available in most of these patients, this clinical descriptive study is the first attempt at reporting some of the causes of short stature in Nigerians.