Abstract
Objective: As the prognosis for final height is unfavorable for children with idiopathic short stature (ISS), we studied the pubertal growth dynamics in these children, which is a determinant factor in final height.
Subjects/methods: In a retrospective cohort study, we analyzed the pubertal period, age of puberty and peripubertal growth in 50 children with ISS.
Results: The onset of puberty occurred later. Growth rate tended to become increasingly subnormal in the prepubertal period and height was –2.45 SD at puberty onset. Growth reaccelerated at this point, which tended to correct the deviation from the mean height, but it was insufficient to obtain a normal final height.
Conclusions: The dynamics of growth in children with ISS showed a distinct pattern in the prepubertal and pubertal periods and puberty is significantly delayed in this population. These patterns could explain the unfavorable prognosis for children with ISS.
©2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
