ABSTRACT
Normal childhood growth is a sensitive indicator of health, and there are few chronic diseases of childhood that do not adversely affect growth. Several mechanisms of growth suppression appear to be commonly involved in various diseases, although a clear understanding of which mechanisms are most important is still lacking. To evaluate the effects of any chronic disease on growth, three important aspects of the condition need to be considered: (1) how the natural history of the disease itself affects growth; (2) how medications required to treat the disease affect growth; and (3) the clinical relevance of the growth effect, i.e., whether the growth impairment results in merely a delay in the normal tempo of growth with attainment of normal final height or whether ultimate height is adversely affected.
