GROWTH HORMONE LEVEL AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN STUNTED PREPUBERTAL CHILDREN

The cause of growth failure in the majority of children with short stature remains poorly understood. Objectives : This study was undertaken to determine the nutritional status, anthropometric measurements and Growth Hormone level in 113 stunted prepubertal children (below 3 rd centile) age 6-12 years with a group of 87 control children of normal height (10th-90th centile),of the same age. Subjects and Methods: All children were subjected to through clinical examination, anthropometric measurementsfweight, height ,triceps skin fold midarm circumference.24 hours dietary recall were collected through personal interviewing with children and Growth Hormone serum level were estimated. Results: Serum level of Gil was significantly higher in normal children than stunted group (t=2.19, p 0.03). Nutrient daily intake showed marked differences between stunted and non stunted group. Normal children consumed more calories, fat and carbohydrates than their stunted peers p 0.001 for calories, p 0.05 for proteins, p 0.01 for fat and p 0.05 for carbohydrates. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that nutrient intake, anthropometry and Growth Hormone were higher in normal children rather than in stunted prepubertal children.