How often should height and weight be measured and plotted
each visit which coincides with well child care due dates until age 21
Growth can be worrisome along 2 variables:
*Short stature and growth failure frequently but not always occur together.
what is considered short stature
as height over 2 SD below the mean for age and gender or over 2 SD below mid-parental height.
what is considered growth failure
abnormally slow growth velocity or crossing 2 percentile lines on the growth chart
growth failure may be the first and sometimes only sign of:
an underlying health problem like
the consequences of a delayed or missed diagnosis of growth failure may mean:
permanent height deficits as these children may have an insufficient time, even if the underlying problem is fixed, to make up lost growth potential
parameters in identifying concerning growth
how do you accurately measure height
why should standing measurements NOT be compared to previous supine measurements
as during the transition at 2y/o, as standing will be a little shorter
How do you calculate growth potential for boys and girls
*I remember it as the average of the biological mother and father’s heights with 1 adjustment- because girls start puberty earlier than boys and do not grow as much during puberty as boys, they lose the extra growth (equivalent to 5 inches).
Girls- subtract 5 inches from dad’s height before averaging
Boys- add 5 inches to mom’s height before averaging.
____ is directly correlated with skeletal maturation
The time of epiphyseal closure
*If skeletal maturation (bone age) is delayed, then the patient will have more time, than their chronological age would suggest, to catch up in their height
__ can be helpful in diagnosing constitutional growth delays (CGD), but are generally reassuring in patients who have short stature due to systemic disorders that are being corrected and you are hoping to give them a better height outcome.
bone age x-ray
what is a bone age x-ray
an A/P view of the left hand and wrist. The radiologist will use the Greulich-Pyle standards to report a bone age for the patient compared against their chronological age.
How do you use bone age x-rays to assess growth?
why are bone height predictions not completely accurate in any patient
because they cannot predict the tempo of puberty.
describe a dx of familial short stature
Because the ___ and ___ in pregnancy are the determinants of birth weight and initial growth, these infants will be on a higher growth percentile until age ____- after which they re-establish a new trajectory consistent with their genetic potential.
intrauterine environment and nutrition
6-18 months
(short stature)
how do you screen for skeletal dysplasia
An arm span significantly shorter than height is concerning. Measure the arm span fingertip to fingertip.
nutritional causes of short stature/abnormal growth
endocrine causes of short stature/abnormal growth
chromosomal defect causes of short stature/abnormal growth
other causes of short stature/abnormal growth
describe CGD
that growth charts are designed for the general population, which expects that a male will have a growth spurt around age ___, and females at ___
13-14y
11-12y
*therefore a CGD kid will appear to fall further off the curve at that age.