Serum concentrations of growth hormone, insulin • •, like growth factor-1, procollagen-1and prolactin in healthy infants and children and in children with growth disorders

Abstract

Growth retardation is a common problem in pediatric practice (Werner et al., 1992). Approximately 39% of children aged< 5 years in developing countries are growth retarded and many have poor mental development and behavioral abnonnalities (Fernald and Grantham, 1998).

Deviation from a nonnal pattern of growth can be the first

•.f! manifestation of a wide variety of disease processes that include both endocrine and non endocrine disorders and can involve any organ system of the body. Growth disorders have been subdivided into primary growth abnonnalities, in which the defect appears to be intrinsic to the growth plate, secondary growth disorders which are growth failure resulting from chronic disease or endocrine disorders and idiopathic short stature which includes genetic short stature and CDGM (Gluckman, 1992).