Stunted growth

Editor-In-Chief: Prab R Tumpati, MD
Obesity, Sleep & Internal medicine
Founder, WikiMD Wellnesspedia &
W8MD medical weight loss NYC and sleep center NYC

Stunted growth
Synonyms	Stunting
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	N/A
Symptoms	Short stature, delayed development
Complications	Impaired cognitive development, increased risk of illness
Onset	Childhood
Duration	Long-term
Types	N/A
Causes	Malnutrition, chronic infection, poor maternal health
Risks	Poverty, inadequate sanitation, lack of access to healthcare
Diagnosis	Growth chart, physical examination
Differential diagnosis	Genetic disorders, hormonal disorders
Prevention	Adequate nutrition, improved maternal health, sanitation
Treatment	Nutritional support, medical care
Medication	N/A
Prognosis	N/A
Frequency	Affects approximately 22% of children under 5 globally
Deaths	N/A

Stunted growth, also known as Growth retardation, is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition (or more precisely undernutrition) and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea and helminthiasis, in early childhood and even before birth, due to malnutrition during fetal development brought on by a malnourished mother. The definition of stunting according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is for the "height for age" value to be less than two standard deviations of the WHO Child Growth Standards median.

Causes

Stunted growth is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poor socioeconomic conditions, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness, and/or inappropriate infant and young child feeding and care in early life.

Effects

Stunted growth also affects mental development and health status later in life, resulting in decreased productivity and increased risk of degenerative diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Prevention and treatment

Prevention is possible with improved diet and nutritional intake, improved health and sanitation services, and better access to education. Treatment includes nutritional education and support, and treating and preventing infections.

See also

• Malnutrition
• Undernutrition
• Diarrhea
• Helminthiasis
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease

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Prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years by region

The prevalence of child stunting generally increases as cities become smaller and moving away from urban centres; child wasting and overweight are lower and exhibit less evident trends across the rural-urban continuum

Children in unsanitary conditions in slum in India

Child in slum in Kampala (Uganda) next to open sewage