Idiopathic Short Stature Blog

Primary Care Docs Often Overlook Short Stature in Girls

Posted 26 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 25 – Short girls are less likely than short boys to be referred for tests that could reveal underlying medical reasons for their stature, researchers have found. This means that girls with medical conditions causing their short stature may go undiagnosed or be diagnosed at a later age, which could prevent them from receiving timely treatment, according to the report from investigators at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The research team analyzed the medical records of 33,476 children, aged 6 months to 20 years, who visited four primary care centers in Philadelphia. Of those children, 3,007 had growth faltering, defined as being in the lowest 5 percent of height for age and gender. Most of the children with growth faltering were managed by primary care physicians. Only 8 percent were managed by subspecialists, such as endocrinologists or gastroenterologists. Of ... Read more

Related support groups: Idiopathic Short Stature, Short Stature for Age