AbstractBackground:Steroids are mainstay of the treatment of Nephrotic syndrome and their effect on growth of children studied by earlier workers for lack of consensus, presented conflicting views. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to study pattern of growth of Indian boys with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome in terms of some selected
anthropometric parameters.
Methods: 121 boys between 9 to 16 years of age diagnosed as cases of steroid sensitive Nephrotic syndrome were measured for Weight, Height, Chest Circumference, Biacromial diameter, Bicristal diameter, Triceps skinfold thickness and Subscapular skinfold thickness at half yearly age intervals following a mixed longitudinal growth research design. Tanner’s method was used to compute mean (±SD) distance and velocity growth values for different body parameters of boys.
Results: Growth of height, weight, chest circumference, biacromial diameter and bicristal diameter in boys with steroid sensitive Nephrotic syndrome in general, was found to be compromised as compared to their normal counterparts but was severely affected for height between 14 to 16 years of age and they became short statured individuals. Exceptions to this were triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses which in general, measured fatter than normal boys. Barring triceps skinfold thickness, peak growth velocity for all other body parameters measured amongst boys with SSNS was attained at the same age of 14.5 years. Attainment of peak height velocity (PHV) and peak weight
velocity (PWV) as compared to their normal Indian and western counterparts was found to be substantially delayed
and also measured lesser in magnitude.
Conclusions:The relatively impaired auxological status recorded amongst boys with SSNS appears to be due to influence of chronic nature of the disease itself as well as effect of steroid therapy which is known to impair growth of children. On the contrary, growth of subcutaneous fat measured in terms of triceps and subscapular skinfold
thicknesses exhibited relatively fatter attainments amongst boys with SSNS than their normal counterparts.
Keywords: Nephrotic Syndrome; Growth; Steroids.