Validating parental height measurement for growth hormone-treated children in hospitals: a home-based alternative

Reliable height measurement plays a pivotal role in evaluating the efficacy of costly growth hormone (GH) therapy in children. Currently, regularly outpatient clinic visits are needed to accurately measure height. The outpatient clinic visits are time-consuming for parents as well for health care professionals.

Therefore, Anouk Remmits, Petra van Setten and Hedi Claahsen aimed to investigate the validity of parental height measurements with a prototype stadiometer. This in the context of partially transitioning outpatient clinic visits, for children treated with growth hormone, to the home setting. The researchers published the results in the European Journal of Pediatrics on the 16th of October.

A prototype stadiometer was designed, potentially for performing height measurements at home.  An observational study was performed at the outpatient clinic of Amalia’s Children’s Hospital. Children from 4 to 18 years old and treated with growth hormone participated in this study. Measurements with the prototype stadiometer were performed by their parents or caregivers and by the researcher and were compared to the gold standard (electronic stadiometer). The researchers found a strong correlation (r = 0.9998) between the measurements performed with the prototype stadiometer and the electronic stadiometer with only a minor (- 0.21 cm and − 0.30 cm) underestimation. In our opinion, this underestimation is clinically irrelevant as it does not result in an adjustment in GH dose.

To conclude, parental height measurements could be a promising tool as it partially replaces outpatient clinic visits needed for measurements of height. Further studies are required to confirm this statement.

Read the study here

Remmits, A.J.W., van Mastrigt, G.A.P.G., Evers, S.M.A.A. et al. Parental measurement of height in growth hormone–treated children in the hospital setting proves valid: an observational study - potential for replacement of outpatient clinic visits to the home setting. Eur J Pediatr (2023).