Growth and pubertal development in children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13112/pc.979Keywords:
growth, development, puberty, childAbstract
Growth and development of a child are complex, dynamic processes dependent on genetic and environmental factors. Monitoring these processes is a fundamental part of pediatric healthcare. Its significance lies primarily in understanding physiological ranges and timely detection of pathological deviations for which effective therapies exist.
The indicators which need to be monitored include repeated measurements of body mass and height, comparing them with standards for a specific age, or monitoring through centile curves, calculating growth velocity, observing dental development, bone maturity, and pubertal development of a child.
Since growth and pubertal development in children occur simultaneously, the causes of delayed puberty are similar to those of impaired growth. Most often, this is due to a physiological, constitutional delay in growth and pubertal development, that were also observed in child's parents or other family members. A small proportion of children have a pathological condition leading to growth and developmental disorders. However, timely detection of deviations and referral of the child to a pediatric endocrinologist for evaluation enables identification of precisely that portion of children in whom diagnosing the cause of the deviation and introducing appropriate therapy leads to normal pubertal development and satisfactory final height in adulthood.
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