Growth and Endocrine Flashcards
What is important in history and examination when establishing growth and development?
- Birth weight and gestation
- PMH
- Family history/social history/schooling
- Systematic enquiry
- Dysmorphic features
- Systemic examination
How should growth be measured and plotted?
- Accuracy is important
- Value of serial measurements: make every contact count
- Measurements should be taken between 4-6 months
- Different types of centile charts (UK, Boy/girl, condition specific)
- Identify target height and mid parental height (MPH)
- BMI
How should growth be measured in the under 2s?
Weight and length
How should growth be measured in those over 2?
Weight and height
What assessment tools are there for growth and development?
- Height/length/weight
- Growth charts
- MPH an target centiles
- Growth velocity
- Bone age
- Pubertal assessments
What is important when establishing bone age?
- Radiographs must be of high quality
- Evaluation by skilled practitioner
- Pathological conditions can distort bones
- Severe osteopenia confuses interpretations
What is the Tanner method of pubertal staging?
- Breast development (B) 1 to 5
- Genital development (G) 1 to 5
- Pubic hair (PH) 1 to 5
- Axillary hair (AH) to3
- Testicular volume (T_ 2ml to 20ml
How is testicular maturation assessed?
Prader orchidometer
Why is a precise definition of normal growth difficult to establish?
- Wide range within healthy population
- Different ethnic subgroups
- Inequality in basic health and nutrition
- Normality may relate to individuals or populations (genetic influence)
What factors influence height?
- Age
- Sex
- Race
- Nutrition
- Parental heights
- Puberty
- Skeletal maturity (bone age)
- General health
- Chronic disease
- Specific growth disorders
- Socio-economic status
- Emotional well being
What hormones are involved in puberty?
- Growth hormones
- Sex hormones
What are the most important stages in puberty?
•-Breast budding (Tanner stage B2) in a girl
- Testicular enlargement (Tanner stage G2/T3-4ml)
- These are the earliest objective signs of puberty and when present puberty will usually progress onwards
Growth disorders: Give examples of indications for referral
- Extreme short or tall stature (off centiles)
- Height below target height
- Abnormal height velocity (crossing centiles)
- History of chronic disease
- Obvious dysmorphic syndrome
- Early/late puberty
What are common causes of short stature
- Familial
- Constitutional
- SGA/IUGR (Small for gestational age)
What are the pathological causes of short stature?
- Undernutrition
- Chronic illness (JCA, IBD, Coeliac)
- Iatrogenic (steroids)
- Psychological and social
- Hormonal (GHD, hypothyroidism)
- Syndromes (Turner, Prader Will)
What is the most important pubertal stage in a girl?
B2
What is the most important pubertal stage in a boy?
T3-4ml
What is considered early puberty in a boy?
<9 years (rare)
What is considered late puberty in a boy?
> 14 (common, especially CDGP)
What is considered early puberty in a girl?
<8 years
What is considered late puberty in a girl?
> 13 years (rare)
Who does constitutional delay of growth usually affect?
Boys particularly those with a family history (dad and brothers. though may difficult to obtain)
Why does constitutional delay of growth occur?
There is bone age delay