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Final height in a group of untreated children with constitutional growth delay
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Parma, Italy.
Insights
Children with constitutional growth delay naturally achieve normal adult height without treatment. Final height correlates well with genetic potential and predictions, indicating this is a normal growth variant.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Endocrinology
- Human Growth and Development
Background:
- Constitutional growth delay (CGD) is a common condition in children.
- It is characterized by delayed onset of puberty and a prolonged growth period.
- CGD is generally considered a normal variant of growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the final adult height in children with CGD.
- To assess the correlation between final height and various growth parameters.
- To determine if pharmacological treatment is necessary for CGD.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective evaluation of 41 children with CGD followed to adulthood.
- Analysis of final height in relation to prepubertal height, genetic target, and height predictions.
- Assessment of height standard deviation score (HSDS) changes from prepuberty to adulthood.
Main Results:
- All patients demonstrated significant improvement in HSDS from prepuberty to adulthood.
- The majority achieved a final height above the 3rd percentile.
- Good correlation found between final height and genetic target/height predictions, though predictions sometimes overestimated final height.
Conclusions:
- Constitutional growth delay is a normal variant of growth.
- Pharmacological treatment for CGD should be considered cautiously.
- Natural growth progression typically leads to an acceptable adult height in CGD patients.
Abstract:
We retrospectively evaluated the growth of 41 children with constitutional growth delay followed till adulthood and never treated with growth-promoting therapies. Final height has been correlated with prepubertal height, genetic target and height prediction calculated in both prepuberty and puberty. All patients showed a significant improvement of their height standard deviation score (HSDS) from prepuberty to adulthood, and the great majority of them achieved a final height above the 3rd percentile. Moreover, we found a good correlation between final height and both genetic target and height prediction, even if the latter overestimated final height in 25% of the patients. In conclusion, our data confirm that constitutional growth delay is a normal variant of growth. Therefore, caution should be paid in considering pharmacological treatment of this condition.