Endocrine-derived growth disorders in children

1. Big picture

Growth disorders in children are best understood as a growth-chart problem first, and an endocrine problem second.

The examiner does not want you to say only “short stature.” They want you to explain:

Is the child truly abnormal? Is growth velocity reduced? Is bone age delayed or advanced? Is puberty normal? Is the body proportionate? Is the cause endocrine, systemic, genetic, nutritional, or familial?

Endocrine causes are especially important because they are often treatable, but they must not be confused with common normal variants such as familial short stature and constitutional delay of growth and puberty.

The core pediatric rule:

Endocrine short stature usually has preserved or increased weight for height, while chronic systemic disease usually causes both poor height gain and poor weight gain.

---