Objectives Childhood growth influences their social and psychological behavior, and abnormal growth may reflect underlying pathological etiologies. It is important to diagnose children with short stature as early as possible to be able to manage treatable causes. We aim to study etiologies and characteristics of short stature in children in Jordan. Methods This is a cross-sectional retrospective review of the medical records of children diagnosed with short stature at a referral university hospital. Clinical characteristics, auxological, laboratory, and radiological investigations were collected and analyzed. Results Among a total of 551 children diagnosed with short stature, the number of boys was significantly higher than girls, 304 (55.2%) and 247 (44.8%), respectively with a p-value of 0.015. Average age at presentation for all patients was 10.24 ± 3.23, with no significant difference between boys and girls. Pathological etiology was higher than normal variants 55.7 and 44.3%, respectively with p=0.007. Constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) was the most frequent cause in the normal variant group, 59.8%. Among the pathological group, the most common etiology was growth hormone deficiency (32.2%) with mean age of presentation of 9.40 years and was not significantly different from the age in other etiological groups, 9.44 years and p=0.931. Conclusions Growth monitoring of children should start at an early age for boys and girls. Referral to the pediatric endocrine clinic should be considered when growth problems are suspected for accurate diagnosis and etiology profiling.

中文翻译：

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约旦身材矮小儿童的病因、概况模式和特征

目标 儿童时期的成长会影响他们的社会和心理行为，异常成长可能反映了潜在的病理病因。尽早诊断身材矮小儿童很重要，以便能够处理可治疗的病因。我们旨在研究约旦儿童身材矮小的病因和特征。方法 这是对在一所转诊大学医院诊断为身材矮小的儿童的医疗记录的横断面回顾性审查。收集并分析了临床特征、生长学、实验室和放射学调查。结果 551名矮小儿童中，男孩明显多于女孩，分别为304人（55.2%）和247人（44.8%），p值为0.015。所有患者就诊时的平均年龄为 10 岁。24±3.23，男孩和女孩之间没有显着差异。病理病因分别高于正常变异 55.7% 和 44.3%，p=0.007。体质性生长和青春期延迟 (CDGP) 是正常变异组中最常见的原因，占 59.8%。在病理组中，最常见的病因是生长激素缺乏症（32.2%），平均发病年龄为 9.40 岁，与其他病因组的年龄 9.44 岁无显着差异，p=0.931。结论 对男孩和女孩的生长监测应从早期开始。当怀疑有生长问题以进行准确诊断和病因分析时，应考虑转诊至儿科内分泌诊所。病理病因分别高于正常变异 55.7% 和 44.3%，p=0.007。体质性生长和青春期延迟 (CDGP) 是正常变异组中最常见的原因，占 59.8%。在病理组中，最常见的病因是生长激素缺乏症（32.2%），平均发病年龄为 9.40 岁，与其他病因组的年龄 9.44 岁无显着差异，p=0.931。结论 对男孩和女孩的生长监测应从早期开始。当怀疑有生长问题以进行准确诊断和病因分析时，应考虑转诊至儿科内分泌诊所。病理病因分别高于正常变异 55.7% 和 44.3%，p=0.007。体质性生长和青春期延迟 (CDGP) 是正常变异组中最常见的原因，占 59.8%。在病理组中，最常见的病因是生长激素缺乏症（32.2%），平均发病年龄为 9.40 岁，与其他病因组的年龄 9.44 岁无显着差异，p=0.931。结论 对男孩和女孩的生长监测应从早期开始。当怀疑有生长问题以进行准确诊断和病因分析时，应考虑转诊至儿科内分泌诊所。在病理组中，最常见的病因是生长激素缺乏症（32.2%），平均发病年龄为 9.40 岁，与其他病因组的年龄 9.44 岁无显着差异，p=0.931。结论 对男孩和女孩的生长监测应从早期开始。当怀疑有生长问题以进行准确诊断和病因分析时，应考虑转诊至儿科内分泌诊所。在病理组中，最常见的病因是生长激素缺乏症（32.2%），平均发病年龄为 9.40 岁，与其他病因组的年龄 9.44 岁无显着差异，p=0.931。结论 对男孩和女孩的生长监测应从早期开始。当怀疑有生长问题以进行准确诊断和病因分析时，应考虑转诊至儿科内分泌诊所。