Abstract

YUGAR R., Franz; FLORES C., Eliana; VARGAS T., Ninfa  and  VASQUEZ R., Paola K.. SHORT STATURE STUDY IN 2 TO 5 YEARS OLD PRESCHOOL PATIENTS OF THE PEDIATRIC SERVICE OF THE LA PAZ HOSPITAL. Rev. Méd. La Paz [online]. 2009, vol.15, n.2, pp.15-20. ISSN 1726-8958.

Objective: The goal was to determine the incidence of low height in preschool children, between 2 to 5 years old, patients oí the Pediatric Service of the La Paz Hospital. Methods: It was a descriptive, quantitative and retrospective study. We took an intentional sample from Clinical files of preschool patients from 2 to 5 years, which carne to external Pediatríc consultancy in La Paz Hospital, were reviewed. Including sex, current weight, current height, diagnosis in consultancy, nutritional diagnosis and treatment with zinc for low height, as variables. The diagnosis was made using the WHO age/height curves for sex and age. Low height was consider when the cut point was lower than -2 standard deviation for each child. Results: About sex frequency it was a higher incidence of short stature in boys (68%) and only (32%) in girls. The global incidence of short stature was of 62 (15.5%) children versus 338 (84.5%) nonshort stature children. The zinc prescription was suitable in only 24 % of all children with low height. COMENTS: Short stature boys overcome girls in a 2/1 relation, it means that there is twice low height boys in relation to girls, we suppose that boys children are in major risk of concomitant diseases, being the two year old group in both sexes, the most affected. Zinc prescription must be reinforced in the outpatient follow-up in order to guides correct application.

Keywords : Short stature; malnutrition; zinc.

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