title: Causes of short stature in Pakistani children found at an Endocrine Center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Short stature is defined as height below 3rdcentile. Causes of short stature can range from familial, endocrine disorders, chronic diseases to chromosomal disorders. Most common cause in literature being idiopathic short stature. Early detection and management of remedial disorders like malnutrition and vitamin D deficiency, Endocrine disorders like growth hormone deficiency & hypothyroidism can lead to attainment of expected height. Pakistani data shows idiopathic short stature as the most common cause of short stature. Our study aimed at detecting causes of short stature in children/adolescents at an Endocrine referral center.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was conducted at WILCARE Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Lahore on 70 well-nourished children/adolescents. The patients had been evaluated clinically, biochemically and radiologically as needed. Biochemical testing included hormonal testing as well to detect endocrine causes. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS 20.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Leading cause of short stature in our population was Growth Hormone (GH) deficiency seen in 48 out of 70 (69%) patients. Second most common endocrine abnormality seen in these patients was Vitamin D deficiency [44 out of 70 patients (63%)]. Primary hypothyroidism; pan-hypopituitarism & adrenal insufficiency were other endocrine causes. The weight for age was below 3rdpercentile in 57 (81%) patients, with no association with other major causes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Growth hormone and Vitamin D deficiency constitute one of the major causes of short stature among well-nourished children with short stature in Pakistan.
authors.affiliation: Prof. Ali Jawa, MD, MPH, DABIM, FACE, Wilshire Cardiovascular and Endocrine Center of Excellence (WILCARE), Lahore, Pakistan, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, PIMS, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jawa
authors.affiliation: Syed Hunain Riaz, FCPS (MED), Wilshire Cardiovascular and Endocrine Center of Excellence (WILCARE), Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Syed Hunain
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Riaz
authors.affiliation: Muhammad Zaman Khan Assir, FCPS (MED), Wilshire Cardiovascular and Endocrine Center of Excellence (WILCARE), Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Zaman
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Khan Assir
authors.affiliation: Bahjat Afreen, FCPS (MED), Wilshire Cardiovascular and Endocrine Center of Excellence (WILCARE), Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Bahjat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Afreen
authors.affiliation: Amna Riaz, FCPS (MED), FCPS (ENDO), Wilshire Cardiovascular and Endocrine Center of Excellence (WILCARE), Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Amna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Riaz
authors.affiliation: Prof. Javed Akram, MD, MRCP, FRCP (GLASG), FACP, FACC, FASIM, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, PIMS, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Javed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akram
keywords: Children; Growth hormone deficiency; Hypothyroidism; Pakistani; Short stature; Vitamin D deficiency