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Idiopathic prepubertal short stature is associated with low body mass index

H Thibault1, J C Souberbielle, C Taieb

  • 1Paediatric Endocrinology Unit, Hôpital et Faculté Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France.

Hormone Research
|January 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

Children with idiopathic short stature often have lower body weight. This study suggests insufficient nutrition may contribute to short stature in children, impacting growth and insulin-like growth factor 1 levels.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Human Growth and Development

Background:

  • Idiopathic short stature (ISS) affects children without identifiable causes.
  • The role of body weight and nutritional status in ISS requires further investigation.
  • Previous studies have not fully elucidated the relationship between body mass and growth parameters in ISS.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that insufficient body weight contributes to idiopathic short stature.
  • To compare growth parameters and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels in children with ISS based on body mass index (BMI) z-scores.
  • To investigate the correlation between BMI z-scores and key growth indicators in children with ISS.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluation of 79 prepubertal children diagnosed with idiopathic short stature.
  • Classification into two groups based on body mass index (BMI) z-scores: group 1 (BMI z-score ≤ 0) and group 2 (BMI z-score > 0).
  • Comparison of height, height velocity, bone age, and plasma IGF-1 levels between the two groups.

Main Results:

  • Children in group 1 (lower BMI z-score) exhibited significantly lower height, height velocity, bone age retardation, and plasma IGF-1 compared to group 2.
  • The overall BMI z-score in children with ISS was significantly lower than in the normal population.
  • BMI z-score positively correlated with height, height velocity, and plasma IGF-1 levels.

Conclusions:

  • Children with idiopathic short stature tend to be leaner than their normal-growing peers.
  • Insufficient nutritional intake may be a contributing factor to idiopathic short stature.
  • Further research is evaluating the impact of improved nutritional intake on height changes in these children.

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