Definition of short stature: Individuals of the same race, sex, and age in similar life circumstances whose height is less than 2 standard deviations from the average height of the normal population or less than the third percentile. The following are the average height values and the threshold values for short stature diagnosis for each age, Note: Age refers to actual age, not imaginary age.
Age Male Female
Mean(cm) Short stature cut-off value Mean(cm) Short stature cut-off value
1 year old 76.5 71.5 75 70
2 years old 88.5 82.1 87.2 80.9
3 years old 96.8 89.7 95.6 88.6
4 years 104.1 96.7 103.1 95.8
5 years 111.3 103.3 110.2 102.3
6 years 117.7 109.1 116.6 108.1
7 years 124 114.6 122.5 113.3
Age 8 130 119.9 128.5 118.5
9 years 135.4 124.6 134.1 123.3
10 years 140.2 128.7 140.1 128.3
Age 11 145.3 132.9 146.6 134.2
12 years 151.9 138.1 152.4 140.2
Age 13 159.5 145 156.3 145
Age 14 165.9 152.3 158.6 147.9
15 years old 169.8 157.5 159.8 149.5
Age 16 171.6 159.9 160.1 149.8
17 years old 172.3 160.9 160.3 150.1
18 years 172.7 161.3 160.6 150.4
The common causes of short stature in children are
I. Growth hormone deficiency
Growth hormone deficiency is due to insufficient secretion of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, which makes the child’s height significantly lag behind that of children of the same age and gender, and the growth rate often slows down after the first year of age, with a growth rate of less than 4cm/year, a proportional body shape, normal intelligence, bone age often lags behind the actual age, and delayed puberty.
Central precocious puberty
Precocious puberty causes the child’s bone age to be advanced, the epiphysis to close early, the growth potential to be damaged, and the child’s growth period to be shortened, resulting in short stature in adults.
Idiopathic dwarfism
Children with idiopathic dwarfism have a proportional body shape, their height is lower than the third percentile or two standard deviations of height of children of the same age and sex, their intellectual and sexual development is normal, and the results of growth hormone stimulation test are normal. If the child has familial dwarfism, the parents tend to be short in stature.
Physical puberty delay
The growth is slow before puberty, the bone age is behind, and the age of sexual development is delayed, but once the development starts, the growth is rapid and can reach normal height. It is more common in boys.
V. Chromosomal disorders
In addition to short stature, Turner syndrome also has hypogonadism, short neck, webbed neck and elbow valgus. In addition to short stature, congenital dysmorphic syndrome (21-3 day syndrome) also has features such as backward intelligence and special facial features.
Intrauterine growth retardation
It is also known as less-than-gestational-age child, whose height and weight at birth are lower than the 10th percentile of the same age, and some of them have no catch-up growth after birth, resulting in height lag.
VII. Congenital chondrodysplasia
It is a congenital genetic disease, belonging to cartilaginous bone defects, and is the most common type of dwarf, clinically characterized by short limbs and short stature.
VIII. Congenital hypothyroidism
Also known as cretinism, it has a disproportionate body shape, long upper body, short lower limbs, lagging intelligence, special facial features, and hypothyroidism. With the popularity of screening technology, generally detected and treated after birth, can avoid cretinism.
IX. Other
Including heart, liver, kidney and other chronic diseases, long-term malnutrition, genetic metabolic diseases (such as glycogen accumulation disease, mucopolysaccharidosis, congenital adrenocortical hyperplasia, etc.), as well as psychological factors, environment, etc. may affect the height of the child.