Improved Linear Growth Outcomes in Pediatric Onset Crohn's Disease

Background: Promoting optimal growth is a major goal in managing children with Crohn's disease.;Aims: To describe associations of disease characteristics and influence of parental height on achieving adult height in subjects with pediatric onset Crohn's.;Methods: A retrospective review of disease characteristics, growth, medications, and surgery for 209 subjects with pediatric onset Crohn's disease.;Results: Twenty six of the 209 (12.4%) subjects with adult height below the 5th percentile on the growth curve were compared to those with normal adult height. Target height z-score, height z-score at diagnosis, and receiving corticosteroids for greater than 6 months were significant predictor variables for deviations between subject's adult height z-score and target height z-score (P< 0.001) in the multivariate analysis.;Conclusions: Genetic impact of parental heights, diagnostic height, and receiving corticosteroids for greater than 6 months contributed to adult height impairment. Overall, 12.4% of subjects had adult heights below the 5th percentile.