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Objectives Small for gestational age (SGA) status is known to show stunted growth and results in short stature in adults. The aim of this study was to describe the current short stature in subjects born SGA in Korea and to assess catch-up growth (CUG) or non-CUG. Methods We analyzed data from 3,524 subjects (1,831 male) aged 1-18 years who were born as full-term singletons and who participated in the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2011). Results The prevalence of SGA was 13.4% (n=471). Subjects born SGA had fathers with shorter height, shorter mother's height, and mid-parental height than non-SGA subjects (p<0.05 for all). The odds ratios (ORs) for SGA birth of a short statured father and a short statured mother were 2.00 (95% CI; 1.15-3.47) and 2.11 (95% CI; 1.30-3.40), respectively. Among 471 SGA subjects, 28 subjects (5.9%) were non-CUG, which made up 36.4% of all subjects with short stature. The CUG subjects had a higher father's height, mother's height, mid-parental height, and current BMI (p<0.05 for all). The non-CUG subjects had a higher percentage of fathers being near-short stature (height<10th percentile; 33.3 vs. 12.7%; p=0.008) and mothers being near-short stature (39.3 vs. 13.9%; p<0.001). Conclusion Korean subjects born SGA had a higher risk of current short stature. This population-based nationwide survey also showed that both father's and mother's short stature are risk factors of not only SGA birth but also non-CUG in their children.

Background: It is unclear whether the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006 Child Growth Standards are applicable to East Asian populations. We investigated the applicability of the WHO standards of length/height and weight to a cohort representing middle-class children in Japan., Methods: A cohort of children aged 0-5 years (3430 boys, 3025 girls) in the Tokyo Child Care Center Survey consecutively recruited from 2007 to 2013 were studied. Age- and sex-specific z-scores of length/height, weight and weight for length/height were calculated relative to either the WHO standards or the Japanese 2000 Growth References (nationally representative cross sectional survey data)., Results: Compared with the WHO standards, Japanese children at birth, 1, 3, 5 years were shorter (length/height standard deviation score [SDS] -0.26, -0.82, -0.81, -0.63 for boys, and -0.15, -0.67, -0.84, -0.62 for girls, respectively) and lighter (weight SDS -0.62, -0.36, -0.34, -0.42 for boys and -0.60, -0.17, -0.29, -0.43 for girls, respectively). Weight for length/height showed smaller differences at various length/height points (SDS -0.05 to 0.15 for boys, 0.01 to 0.29 for girls, respectively)., Conclusions: Adoption of the WHO standards would substantially alter the prevalence of short stature, underweight and overweight in Japanese children 0-5 years of age. These findings advocate the use of the national references in Japan.

Background: Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) availability has allowed the treatment of a greater number of growth disorders. It is important to get an insight into the clinical characteristics of the paediatric population before rhGH treatment., Methods: An observational, retrospective and multicentre study was conducted to evaluate the patients' baseline characteristics prior to rhGH therapy., Results: A total of 1404 patients (53.8% males) aged 0.5-17.3 years were included. Clinical conditions were as follows: GH deficiency (GHD), 66.0%; small for gestational age (SGA), 29.7%; and Turner syndrome (TS), 4.3%. Male gender was predominant in most growth disorders; age at diagnosis was higher in GHD patients; therapy with rhGH started at lower chronological age in SGA and TS groups., Conclusion: The baseline characteristics of the population to be treated with rhGH were similar to those reported in other growth databases. Delayed age at treatment initiation should increase the awareness of these disorders among general paediatricians and entice them to refer children suspected of having these disorders to a specialist.