Current Paediatrics
Volume 11, Issue 5 , Pages 364-368, October 2001

Applied physiology: understanding growth

  • K. Hussain (Lecturer in Paediatric Endocrinology)

      Affiliations

    • The London Centre for Paediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, Great Ormond Street, Hospital for Children NHS Trust, WC1N 3JH, UK
    • ,
  • M. Preece (Professor of Child Health and Growth)

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WCIN 1EH, UK

Abstract 

The process of growth can be considered to occur in four phases, namely intrauterine, infancy, early childhood and the pubertal growth spurt. Each of these components is regulated by different factors. During the intrauterine life growth is regulated by genetic, maternal, nutritional, placental and growth promoting factors. In infancy growth is dependent upon nutrition, whereas in early childhood growth hormone and thyroid hormones become important in regulating growth. Finally, the pubertal growth spurt is controlled by a combination of growth hormone and sex steroids.

Keywords: growth, growth factors, hormones

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  • f1 Correspondence to: MP. E-mail: m.preece@ich.ucl.ac.uk

PII: S0957-5839(01)90211-8

doi:10.1054/cupe.2001.0211

Current Paediatrics
Volume 11, Issue 5 , Pages 364-368, October 2001

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