Growth

HEALTH INFORMATION

Growth

Growth and Neuromotor development are the most distinctive of Pediatric which distinguish them from adults.

CORRECTED AGE:-

-In prematurely born babies , corrected or conceptional age should be used for assessment of both growth and development.

-If a child is born at 32 week of gestational age ,at 2 months of age (8 week), s/he will be zero.Thus at 4 month of chronological age s/he will be 2 month of corrected age and his/her physical growth and mental development wound correspond to a normal 2 month old child.

-The concept of corrected age is used for assessment of growth anddevelopment at least during the first year of life.

ANTHROPOMETETRIC MEASURES OF NORMAL FULLTERM NEWBORN

  1. Birth weight: 2.5-4.0 kg
  2. Length: 50 cm (around)
  3. Head circumference: 34-35 cm

WEIGHT:-

The physical growth after birth depends upon the interaction between genetic endowment and environmental influences especially dietary intake and occurrence or absence of infectious disease.

AVERAGE DAILY WEIGHT GAIN (MONTHLY ) DURING

  1. First 3 months:-30 g (800 gm/month)
  2. 3-6 months:-20 g (600gm/month) [Birth weight doubles by 5-6 months of age]
  3. 6-9 months:- 15 g (400gm/month)
  4. 9-12 months:- 12 g (300 gm/month)
  5. 1-3 year :- 8 g (3 kg/year) [Birth weight quadruples by 2 years of age]
  6. 4-6 years : 6 g (around 2kg/year): this rate of gain continues till the onset of puberty.
    ADOLESCENCE
  7. Girl 12-14 year :3-4 kg/year
  8. Boys 14-18 year 6-7 kg/year

APPROXIMATE WEIGHT:-

  1. Weight at 4-5 month =2 x birth weight
  2. Weight at 1 year =3 x birth weight
  3. Weight at 2 year =4 x birth weight
  4. Weight at 7 year =7 x birth weight
    FORMULA FOR APPROXIMATE WEIGHT
  5. Weight in kilograms =(Age in year + 3) x 2.3
    WEECH’S FORMULA (IN KG)
  6. Infant (0-12 months)=(Age in months +9) X 0.5
  7. 1-6 years =(Age in years X 2) +8
  8. 7-12 years =(Age in years X 7 – 5) X 0.5

LENGTH (HEIGHT):-

-Upto 2 years of age recumbent length is measured with help of an infantometer while in older children standing height or stature is recorded.

-It is a better index of physical growth.

-Nutritional deprivation over a period of time (generally over 6 months) affects the stature or linear growth of the child.

Length or Height Velocity:-

  1. At birth :-50 cm
  2. Gain 1st year :-25 cm (75 cm)
  3. Gain during 2nd year:-12.5 (87.5cm)
  4. Gain during 3rd year:-7.5-10cm
  5. Gain during 3-12 years:-5-7.5 cm
    ADOLESCENCE
  6. Girl 12-16 year=8cm/year
  7. Boys 14-18 year =10cm/year
Calculation of expected height (cm)upto 12 years
(WEECH’S FORMULA)=(Age in years X 6 )+77 cm

PREDICTION OF ADULT HEIGHT

-The calculation of mid-parental height is useful to evaluate the child’s genetic endowment for linear growth.The determination is made by using the following formulae (in centimetres)

Boys=(Mother’s height +Father’s height) x 0.5 + 6.5 cm
Girls=(Mother’s height +Father’s height) x 0.5 - 6.5 cm

The projected target height by this method corresponds to within +/- 6cm or +/- 2SD.This represents the 3rd and 97th percentile for the child.

HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE

-If scalp edema or cranial molding is present, measurement of head circumference may be inaccurate until the third or fourth day of life.

-Head circumference is routinely recorded upto 5 years of age.

-Brain growth is minimally affected by malnutrition.

-During states of under nutrition of varying severity weight, linear growth (height) and brain growth are affected in that order.

Head circumference growth:-

-At birth :-35cm

-Birth to 3 months :-2cm/month

-3-6months:-1cm/month

-9-12months:-0.25cm/month

-At 1 year :-46-47cm

-At 2 year:-48cm

-At 5 years:-50-51cm

-At 12 years:-52cm