Association of short stature and obesity with cardio-metabolic risk factors in Iranian children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-V study

Understanding Stunting: Impact, Causes, and Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Reduction-A Narrative Review

Stunting is a major global health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, due to its persistently high prevalence. It often originates from chronic malnutrition during the critical first 1000 days of life. Maternal and child nutrition are critical determinants of a child's growth and development. This article aimed to explore the impact, causes, and evidence-based strategies to accelerate the reduction of stunting incidence worldwide. This review was undertaken with sources from PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and MEDLINE from October 2024 to January 2025. This review was undertaken with sources from PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and MEDLINE from October 2024 to January 2025 using the keyword "Stunting", "Causes of stunting", "Stunting Impact", "Stunting Intervention", and "Stunting Prevention". The findings highlight the multifactorial causes of stunting, including maternal malnutrition, inadequate breastfeeding and complementary feeding, poor sanitation, and socioeconomic factors. Stunting is associated with impaired linear growth, cognitive deficits, gut dysbiosis, endocrine disruption, anemia, and increased risk of chronic diseases later in life. Addressing stunting demands multisectoral strategies focusing on maternal and child nutrition, infection prevention, improved WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) practices, and socioeconomic support. The evidence presented may guide policy development and targeted interventions to prevent stunting and its long-term effects.

[Early diagnosis and intervention for prepubertal short stature children]

The prevalence of short stature among prepubertal children in China is relatively high. Early identification of the cause and timely intervention can bring greater benefits to children with short stature. This paper provides an overview of early diagnosis, intervention measures, and personalized medication dosage for prepubertal short stature children, aiming to provide references for clinical doctors.

[Pharmacological therapies for height improvement in pubertal children with short stature]

Short stature in puberty significantly affects the physical and mental health of adolescents. The continuous acceleration of skeletal maturation, caused by sex hormones during puberty, limits the time available for growth and poses a considerable challenge for the treatment of short stature. To date, there is still no standardized treatment protocol for this disorder. However, puberty is the last period to improve the final adult height. Currently, commonly used pharmacological treatments in clinical settings include recombinant human growth hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs, and third-generation aromatase inhibitors. In recent years, personalized treatment aiming to improve the final adult height has become a key focus in clinical practice. This article provides a comprehensive summary of research on pharmacological therapies for height improvement in pubertal children with short stature, offering valuable insights for healthcare professionals.

Association between the uric acid to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and alanine transaminase in Chinese short stature children and adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Objective

Uric acid to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (UHR), the ratio of uric acid to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, is a newly proposed marker of metabolic abnormalities. There are few previous studies directly investigating the relationship between UHR and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), especially in short stature populations, however, short stature children and adolescents are more likely to have metabolic disorders. This research aimed to investigate the relationship between the UHR and ALT in children and adolescents with short stature.

Methods

In this cross-sectional analysis, the clinical data of 1,510 children with height below -2 SD who were evaluated at the Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from 1 March 2013 to 31 December 2021, were selected. Anthropometric and biochemical indicators were measured. The relationship between UHR and ALT was analysed.

Results

The univariate analysis results showed that UHR was positively associated with ALT (β = 0.43, P < 0.0001). Furthermore, after adjusting for possible confounding factors, a non-linear relationship was detected between UHR and ALT through smooth curve fitting, and the inflection point of UHR was 10.93% after multivariate piecewise linear regression analysis. ALT increased with UHR elevation when the UHR was greater than 10.93% (β = 0.69, 95% CI 0.39, 0.98; P < 0.0001). However, we did not observe a significant relationship when the UHR was less than 10.93% (P = 0.9229).

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that in Chinese children and adolescents with short stature, UHR may be associated with the regulation of ALT levels, and this relationship merits further investigation.