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Transient growth deceleration in normal short children

A potential source of bias in growth studies

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Abstract

We have examined the records of 21 short children evaluated for growth hormone deficiency and found not to be deficient. Their growth velocity was evaluated for at least 6 months, both before and after testing. Without any specific therapeutic intervention, growth velocity was significantly higher after testing, as compared with before. We attribute this apparent “therapeutic” effect of testing to a selection bias, due to the fact that, in normal clinical practice, children are selected for testing immediately following a period of slow growth, and that decelerations of growth are very often transient. Studies of growth-stimulating treatments using children as their own controls should, for this reason, be interpreted with caution.

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Abbreviations

GH:

growth hormone

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, McGill University, 2300 Tupper Street, H3H 1P3, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    C. Polychronakos, H. Abu-Srair & H. J. Guyda

  2. Montreal Children's Hospital, 2300 Tupper Street, H3H 1P3, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    C. Polychronakos, H. Abu-Srair & H. J. Guyda

Authors
  1. C. Polychronakos
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  2. H. Abu-Srair
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  3. H. J. Guyda
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Additional information

This is publication no. 87032 of the McGill University-Montreal Children's Hospital Research Institute

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Polychronakos, C., Abu-Srair, H. & Guyda, H.J. Transient growth deceleration in normal short children. Eur J Pediatr 147, 582–583 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00442467

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00442467

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