Journal of Umm Al-Qura University for Medical Science (Dec 2023)

Nutritional Status of Short Stature Children under Growth Hormone Therapy

  • Hanouf Aljuied,
  • Wedad Azhar,
  • Alaa Qadhi,
  • Duaa Najm,
  • Firas Azzeh,
  • Wafaa Abusudah,
  • Walaa Alhassani,
  • Nouf Alharbi,
  • Nawaf Aljuied,
  • Taqwa Bushnaq,
  • Mai Ghabashi,
  • Sarah Alkholy,
  • Khloud Ghafouri

DOI
https://doi.org/10.54940/ms64260830
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 2
pp. 69 – 78

Abstract

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Background: Childhood stunting is one of our community's most prevalent public health nutrition problems. Many factors may lead to the development of stunning. Growth hormones and diet might play a role in the treatment. This study aims to investigate the effect of nutritional status on the growth rate among children with short stature who underwent growth hormone therapy the previous year. Methods: A one-year retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out among 4-10-year-old children with stunting. Laboratory tests, anthropometric measurements, and dietary intake were measured at the start of the research and one year after the application of growth hormone therapy. Results: A significantly higher growth rate was observed among males than females (P = 0.040). Also, males had significantly higher calorie intake (P). This study found that the patients had a less than 8.5% difference in energy intake vs. total energy requirement. There is a significant association between food consumption from two food groups (milk and meat) (P = 0.04 and 0.021, respectively. Conclusion: Diet plays a significant role in the improvement of growth velocity.