Child development and Growth Flashcards
Phases of growth
Infancy – Nutrition and Insulin
Childhood – Growth hormone and Thyroxine
Puberty – Growth hormone and sex hormones
Consists of the acquisition of physical and intellectual skill and emotional balance
Importance of Growth
An index and signal of health and well-being
Physical and psychological problems of being short
Intellectual benefits of improved growth
Principles of Measuring growth
Define normal growth – growth charts and centiles
If abnormal growth is discovered – the aetiology should be investigated and treated
What is Auxology?
a metaterm used to cover all measures of growth
Uses a standard technique with acceptable intra/inter observer error - also affordable and robust
Measurements used to record growth
Weight - naked up to 2yrs, light clothes only after
Height
Length
Head Circumference (OFC)
The four Factors required to growth
Health - pathologies and illness limit growth
Food - is there a restriction in nutrition?
Nurturing - is the neglect or abuse?
Hormones - at the right time and right amount?
Describe Normal growth curves
Weight and height increase rapidly in the first 2yrs then steadily till 12-14 –> growth spurt (Boys:14, Girls:12) ending with boys being taller and heavier
Which Factors effecting growth?
Gender is most important Variation in families, populations and ethnicity Social class has epi-genetic and nutritional features
Explain Growth charts
A way of comparing an individuals growth with the average of a reference population
Divide into centiles - 0.4, 2, 9, 25, 50, 75, 91, 98, 99.6
Each band is 2/3 of SD
Williams syndrome
Deletion of 26 genes from the long arm of chr 7 leading to small statue, low IQ but strong verbal scores, elfin appearance and being hyper social
What types of Abnormal growth are there?
Can be specific - crossing centile lines– dropping two lines defines failure to thrive
Can be relational – abnormal height to weight or abnormal body proportions (legs and arms)
Changes of BMI throughout childhood
Increases rapidly after birth to about 17/18 by age 1.
Then decreases to 15/16 through childhood and starts increasing again at age 8 for girls and 9 for boys – boys overtake girls at age 17/18
Investigating small stature (History) (4x2)
Birth weight (IUGR/SGA) - Feeding and nutrition in infancy
Developmental syndromes - chronic or recent growth failure
Ethnic and FHx – pubertal development and mother’s age of menache
Social Hx - fostered/adopted?, neglect/abuse, low family IQ, poor nutrition
Investigating small stature (Anthropometry) (5,5)
Short legs - hypothyroid, rickets, skeletal dysplasia, turner syn.
Short spine - scoliosis, irradiation, haemoglobinopathy, spinal anomaly, Severe emotional disturbance
Long legs - delayed puberty
Causes of short, fat children
Mainly endocrine causes - hypothyridism, GH deficiency, Cushings
Causes of short thin children
Chronic systemic diseases - cardiac, respiratory, renal, metabolic
Malabsorption - Coeliac disease or Crohn’s disease
Malnutrition, neglect or cerebral palsy
Causes for low birth weight
Prematurity Chromosomal abnormality
Intrauterine infection Fetal alcohol syndrome
Silver-Russell syndrome (dwafism) Maternal/placental factors
Features of underweight children with Coeliac disease (5)
Tiredness and anaemia
Positive antibodies (anti-endomysial/anti-gliadin) and jejunal biopsy
Will respond to diet
Strongly associated with HLA-DQ2 (95%) and HLA B8 (80%)
What is Bone age?
Bones change during growth in a way which can be seen on X-ray – the bone age of a child is the average age children are when they get to the stage of maturation their bones are.
A child’s current height and bone age can be used to predict adult height
Investigations of short stature
FBC, U+Es, Ca, P, ALP,
Thyroid function and GH stimulation tests (Insulin or arginine)
Coeliac antibody screen
Chromosome test and left hand and wrist X-ray to check bone age