Evaluation and treatment of low stauture in children born “small for gestational age”

Abstract

Short stature is a reason for consulting a pediatrician or primary care doctor.
Carrying out a correct evaluation is important for the early detection of growth disorders that benefit from adequate treatment.
The present work focuses on the evaluation of small children for gestational age (SGA), detecting those who do not timely catch up within the First 2 to 3 years of life and considering treatment with growth hormone. As part of the evaluation, it is necessary to determine the genetic target height (TOG) and mark it on the growth curve of our patient (as if it were the height horizon that they should reach in adulthood), the concept also arises from this of projected size. This is in my opinion so important to determine (along with the TOG) when evaluating the growth of any child. It is very well studied that those children born SGA who do not recover their catch up benefit from treatment with growth hormone (GH). This constitutes one of the indications for growth hormone worldwide.