The use and interpretation of growth charts

Abstract 

A growth chart is a clinical tool which is used to aid the diagnostic process. Like any piece of medical equipment, it works well if used appropriately but has its limitations which must be properly understood. Knowledge of how growth charts are constructed can help in the understanding of what questions they can and cannot answer and how they are best used. Errors in plotting growth charts are common, particularly where different clinicians observe different plotting conventions. The interpretation of growth charts usually requires a comparison to be made between different simultaneous measures or successive measurements over time. Here, an understanding is needed of the range of normality as well as the most common types of unusual growth pattern seen. Growth charts cannot make a diagnosis, but they can provide important clues as well as offer vital reassurance, which are lacking if growth measurements are collected but not plotted.

Keywords: growth charts, growth reference standards

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• f1 Correspondence to: CMW. Tel.: +44 (0)141 201 6927; Fax: +44 (0)141 201 6943; E-mail: charlotte.wright@clinmed.gla.ac.uk