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Updated: Sep 19, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

Evaluating the child with short stature

C P Mahoney

    Pediatric Clinics of North America
    |August 1, 1987
    PubMed

    Insights

    Short stature in children can be normal variation or a sign of disease. This guide helps differentiate between normal growth patterns and pathologic short stature for accurate diagnosis.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatric Endocrinology
    • Growth and Development
    • Genetics

    Background:

    • Short stature is a frequent pediatric concern, necessitating differentiation between normal variation and underlying pathology.
    • Children two standard deviations (SD) below the mean height (third percentile) often have normal variants, with 20% exhibiting pathologic short stature.
    • Children three SD below the mean height are more likely to have pathologic short stature.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To provide a systematic approach for evaluating children with short stature.
    • To distinguish between normal variants (familial short stature, constitutional growth delay) and pathologic causes of short stature.
    • To guide clinicians in identifying children requiring further investigation for underlying diseases.

    Main Methods:

    • Review of population data on height percentiles and standard deviations.
    • Analysis of the prevalence of different causes of short stature at varying degrees of height deficit.
    • Development of a diagnostic algorithm for short stature evaluation.

    Main Results:

    • At two SD below the mean, 80% of short children represent normal variants (familial short stature or constitutional growth delay), while 20% have pathologic short stature.
    • At three SD below the mean, the majority of children present with pathologic short stature.
    • The study outlines criteria to differentiate these categories.

    Conclusions:

    • An orderly diagnostic approach is crucial for managing pediatric short stature.
    • Identifying normal variants early prevents unnecessary investigations for benign conditions.
    • Accurate diagnosis of pathologic short stature ensures timely intervention for underlying diseases.

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