How are children's growth problems diagnosed?

Abstract

Members of the Child Growth Foundation were surveyed to ascertain how children's growth problems were diagnosed. For many (46%) it was the parents who first expressed a concern about the child's growth. Routine height monitoring detected only 8%. Parents consulted a doctor promptly when worried, but there were often delays between the first medical consultation and referral to a hospital consultant. Many parents reported that their concerns were not taken seriously.

Early recognition of growth abnormalities permitting early intervention

“…Community growth monitoring programmes do not, however, identify all cases of growth‐related conditions. In some cases, children are referred following parental concerns or concerns raised by family practitioners during routine examinations .…”

Growth monitoring

“…Some girls with Turner's syndrome can be detected antenatally or in the neonatal period,7 but the remainder, perhaps 60%, are identified because of short stature, amennorhoea, or infertility. Although absolute height and rate of gain in height are both less than in normal girls, there is considerable overlap with the normal range (fig 1).…”