Referral pattern of children with short stature to a pediatric endocrine clinic in Kuwait

Al‐Abdulrazzaq, Dalia; Al-Taiar, Abdullah; Hassan, Kholoud; Al-Twari, Basma; Al-Osaimi, Abdulaziz; Al-Busairi, Iman

doi:10.1515/jpem-2016-0098

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 37 publications

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“…Short stature is one of the most common reasons for referrals to pediatric endocrinologists (3,9). However, a retrospective review of children with short stature referred to a pediatric endocrinologist at an endocrine clinic in Kuwait found that approximately one-fifth of referred children had normal growth (9). This observation suggests that there is a need to improve the referral process so that unnecessary investigations and parental anxiety are avoided.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and referral of patients with short stature by primary care physicians in the Arabian gulf region: Current perspectives from a regional survey

Kaplan

Amiri²,

Attia³

et al. 2022

Front. Pediatr.

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Children with short stature are frequently referred late to pediatric endocrinologists in the Arabian Gulf region. This is likely a contributing factor to late initiation of treatment despite current evidence suggesting that children with short stature have better outcomes with earlier treatment. This delay in referral could be due to a lack of identification or proper assessment of short stature by front-line physicians. To analyze the assessment and perception of short stature in this group of physicians, an expert group of pediatric endocrinologists developed and disseminated an anonymous online survey of 22 multiple choice questions amongst general pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists, and family medicine physicians in the Arabian Gulf region. Of the 640 respondents, 450 completed the survey (70.3% completion rate). While most surveyed physicians use the correct definition for short stature in children, only 24% reported a consistent use of a wall-mounted stadiometer. Of the respondents, 50% or less would consider referring clinical conditions other than growth hormone (GH) deficiency or idiopathic short stature, 41% would refer a child with short stature as soon as height dropped below the 5th percentile, 57% considered GH a treatment option for short stature, and only 60% consider GH treatment safe. The results of this survey demonstrate knowledge gaps in short stature assessment and referral that need to be addressed through education on short stature amongst target physicians, and lay groundwork for future recommendations to address those gaps in the Arabian Gulf region.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and referral of patients with short stature by primary care physicians in the Arabian gulf region: Current perspectives from a regional survey

Kaplan

Amiri²,

Attia³

et al. 2022

Front. Pediatr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Quality of Life of Children and Adolescents with Short Stature: The Twofold Contribution of Physical Growth and Adaptive Height-Related Cognitive Beliefs

Mergulhão

Almeida

Moreira

et al. 2022

J Clin Psychol Med Settings

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Characteristics and etiologies of short stature in children

Essaddam

Kallali

Cherifi

et al. 2020

International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

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Background: Short stature is a common reason for referral to pediatric endocrinology clinics. It may be a manifestation of a pathological condition requiring early treatment. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and etiologies of short stature among children referred to the pediatric endocrinology clinic of the main pediatric tertiary care center in Tunisia. Methods: Retrospective and descriptive study in the endocrinology unit of children referred for short stature between January 2012 and December 2016. Data on the patients' medical history, physical findings, laboratory tests, bone age and chromosomal analysis were collected. Results: 470 children (266 males and 204 females) were referred during that period. 214 (45.5%) had normal height, and 80.8% of them were referred by general practitioners. The other 256 children (54.5%) had a confirmed short stature (mean age :7.2 years, mean height: -2.77 SDS). Endocrinological causes were the most common(43% GHD, 4% hypothyroidism) followed by intrauterine growth retardation IUGR (24%), genetic syndromes (8.4%), chronic pediatric diseases (7.8%), skeletal dysplasia (6.2%), normal variant of short stature (5%), and psychosocial deprivation (1.2%). Among non-endocrine causes, Turner syndrome was the most common genetic syndrome (4.4%), achondroplasia the main skeletal dysplasia (4%) and celiac disease the main chronic disease (3.4%). Conclusions: ST is largely overestimated in our country. Therefore, it is important to insist on adequate measurement and analysis of growth parameters to avoid unnecessary investigations. GHD and IUGR were the most common causes. Celiac disease, though frequent in Tunisia, is not a common cause of short stature.

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Referral pattern of children with short stature to a pediatric endocrine clinic in Kuwait

Abstract: Our study highlights the need to improve the referral process in order to avoid unnecessary investigations and alleviate parental anxiety. There is no gender bias in short stature referrals in Kuwait. There is a need of further investigation of short stature in the region.

Cited by 4 publications

References 37 publications

Assessment and referral of patients with short stature by primary care physicians in the Arabian gulf region: Current perspectives from a regional survey

Assessment and referral of patients with short stature by primary care physicians in the Arabian gulf region: Current perspectives from a regional survey

Quality of Life of Children and Adolescents with Short Stature: The Twofold Contribution of Physical Growth and Adaptive Height-Related Cognitive Beliefs

Characteristics and etiologies of short stature in children

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