No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Growth Disorders*

PURPOSE: Insulin-like growth factor I(IGF-I) is a polypeptide mitogen and mediates growth effect of growth hormone(GH). The lack of daily variation of IGF-2 allows their measurements to be reliable in screening for growth disorders. The aims of this study are to evaluate the mean levels of IGF-I and also to evaluate whether IGF-I has diagnostic significance as a screening test in short stature children. METHODS: We studied 71 short stature children(Male 43, Female 28)whose test results were normal after GH provocation test(L-dopa and/clonidine). Control group was 13 children with GH deficiency(complete GH deficiency 6 cases, partial GH deficiency 7 cases). Serum GH level was measured with radioimmunoassay(RIA, Diagnostic system laboratories, USA) kit. and serum IGF-I level was measured with RIA kit(Nichols co., USA). RESULTS : 1) Study group included 71 short stature children(male 43, female 28) without GH deficiency and 13 short stature children with GH deficiency(complete GH deficiency 6, partial GH deficiency 7). 2) The height of 43 male children was below 50 percentile except in 3 cases. And 28 female children was below 50 percentile except 1 case. In Tanner standard growth curve. But, 7 male chidren with GH deficiency was below -1SD and 6 female children with GH deficiency was below -2SD. 3) Serum IGF-I level in short stature children without GH deficiency was seen to increase with age and serum IGF-1 level of female was higher than that of male. 4) Serum IGF-I level was correlated with height percentile in study group(male: Y=0.017X+0.243, r=0.294, P=0.03, female: Y=1.248X+0.716, r=0.384, P=0.01). 5) Serum IGF-I level was -2SD in most GH deficient children. Conclusions: The height was mostly below 50 percentile of the Tanner growth curve in short stature children without GH deficiency. Serum IGF-I level was weakly correlated with the height percentile in both male and female study group. But, serum IGF-I level has limited value of screening test in diagnosis of short stature. However, if serum IGF-I level below -2SD, it could be anti pate the sign for further evaluation of GH deficiency.
Child* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Growth Disorders ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor II ; Male ; Mass Screening

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Growth Disorders ; blood ; diagnosis ; Human Growth Hormone ; deficiency ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; blood ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; analysis ; Male

The teratogenic effects of alcohol have been recognized in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is a collection of signs and symptoms seen in some children exposed to alcohol in the prenatal period. An 8 month-old-male with an alcoholic mother was diagnosed as a case of FAS according to the following : 1) early-onset intrauterine growth retardation and persistent postnatal growth failure 2) psychomotor retardation 3) craniofacial dysmorphism. Early diagnosis and continued education are advantageous at all levels, benefiting both the individual and all of society. We present this case with a brief review of related literatures.
Alcoholics ; Child ; Early Diagnosis ; Education ; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders* ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Humans ; Mothers

Body Height ; Child ; Craniofacial Dysostosis ; diagnosis ; Female ; Growth Disorders ; etiology ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo study the characteristics of R bone age, C bone age, and T bone age in children with different causes of short stature based on the Tanner and Whitehouse skeletal age assessment system 2 (TW2), and to provide a reference for the etiological diagnosis of short stature.

METHODSThree hundred and sixty-three children with previously untreated short stature were classified into four groups according to the causes: growth hormone deficiency (GHD; 27 cases), idiopathic short stature (ISS; 280 cases), small for gestational age (SGA; 41 cases), and Turner syndrome (TS; 15 cases). The X-ray films of their left hand-wrist bones were taken to determine the bone age. R bone age, C bone age, and T bone age were assessed by the TW2 method and compared with their chronological age (CA).

RESULTSR bone age, C bone age, and T bone age were over 2 years less than CA in both boys and girls from the GHD group. In the ISS group, R bone age, C bone age, and T bone age were about 1 year less than CA in boys, while there were no significant differences between the bone ages and CA in girls. In the SGA group, there were no significant differences between the bone ages and CA in either boys or girls. In the TS group, R bone age and T bone age were significantly lower than CA, while there was no significant difference between C bone age and CA.

CONCLUSIONSThe children with different causes of short stature have different characteristics of R bone age, C bone age, and T bone age assessed by the TW2 method. The assessment of R bone age, C bone age, and T bone age by the TW2 method is helpful for the etiological diagnosis of short stature in children.

Adolescent ; Age Determination by Skeleton ; Body Height ; Child ; Female ; Growth Disorders ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Humans ; Male

Body Height ; Child ; Gitelman Syndrome ; complications ; diagnosis ; Growth Disorders ; etiology ; Humans ; Male

Short stature is a common physical developmental abnormality in children. Without timely and accurate diagnosis, as well as early intervention, it can impose a heavy burden on the children and their families. There are numerous causes for short stature, and the diagnostic process essentially involves identifying its underlying causes. Based on a thorough understanding of the regular patterns of child physical development and the characteristics of individuals at high risk of short stature, a scientific definition of short stature needs to be established, along with standardized diagnostic and treatment protocols, to achieve early diagnosis or referral for short stature. Furthermore, it is necessary to enhance scientific awareness of short stature among parents and primary care pediatricians, in order to avoid over-treatment, missed diagnoses, and misdiagnoses arising from "misconceptions", and to improve the scientific assessment of short stature.
Humans ; Child ; Dwarfism/diagnosis* ; Child Development ; Parents ; Body Height ; Growth Disorders/etiology*

For the present, to determine growth hormone(GH) deficiency in patients with short stature, many provocative tests using various pharmacological agents such as glucagon, insulin, clonidine, arginine, growth hormone releasing factor, etc. should be done. These are not only complicated but are also misleading in some patients. In search of a simple and accurate method of detecting GH deficiency that may replace the more complicated provocative tests, we measured basal plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) to see the correlation with the peak GH values in the GH stimulation test. But, in each group of patients with different types of short stature, IGF-I values were poorly correlated. In addition, IGF-I values of the patients with short stature compared to the age- and sex-matched normal ranges showed a significant overlap, and the difference between the proportion of patients with subnormal values in GH deficient patients and non-GH deficient patients was not prominent. Nevertheless, in response to human growth hormone (hGH) administration, both the yearly growth rate and IGF-I levels increased conspicuously. Therefore, even though it may not be feasible to use IGF-I as a single diagnostic measure of patients with short stature, the change in IGF-I values in the follow up of hGH therapy may well represent the response to hGH.
Adolescent ; *Body Height ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Growth Disorders/*blood/diagnosis ; Growth Hormone/blood/*deficiency ; Human ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/*analysis/metabolism ; Male ; Somatomedins/*analysis

For the present, to determine growth hormone(GH) deficiency in patients with short stature, many provocative tests using various pharmacological agents such as glucagon, insulin, clonidine, arginine, growth hormone releasing factor, etc. should be done. These are not only complicated but are also misleading in some patients. In search of a simple and accurate method of detecting GH deficiency that may replace the more complicated provocative tests, we measured basal plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) to see the correlation with the peak GH values in the GH stimulation test. But, in each group of patients with different types of short stature, IGF-I values were poorly correlated. In addition, IGF-I values of the patients with short stature compared to the age- and sex-matched normal ranges showed a significant overlap, and the difference between the proportion of patients with subnormal values in GH deficient patients and non-GH deficient patients was not prominent. Nevertheless, in response to human growth hormone (hGH) administration, both the yearly growth rate and IGF-I levels increased conspicuously. Therefore, even though it may not be feasible to use IGF-I as a single diagnostic measure of patients with short stature, the change in IGF-I values in the follow up of hGH therapy may well represent the response to hGH.
Adolescent ; *Body Height ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Growth Disorders/*blood/diagnosis ; Growth Hormone/blood/*deficiency ; Human ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/*analysis/metabolism ; Male ; Somatomedins/*analysis