View clinical trials related to Short Stature.
Filter by:Background: - Some growth disorders are caused by a change in genes. Genes are the instructions the body uses to function. Changes in genes often cause them not to work correctly. Researchers want to use a new technology called exome sequencing, to look at many genes at once. This is done by looking at DNA from blood or saliva in a lab. This method may help find the cause of disorders that researchers haven t been able to find using past methods. Objectives: - To better understand genetic causes of growth disorders. Eligibility: - Children and adults with growth disorders and their family members. Design: - Participants will give a small sample of blood and/or saliva. - Researchers will purify DNA from the sample. They will perform exome sequencing and other tests to look for changes in genes. Some participants may receive limited or no genetic tests. Researchers will let them know if exome sequencing is performed. - Participants may have a medical history, physical exam, and lab tests. They may have x-rays or ultrasound tests to study the disorder in their family. - Some participants may be recommended for a specific genetic test from a commercial lab. They may have to pay for that test. - Participants will be told about test results that relate to the growth disorder. This may happen up to years after the testing. They may have to give another blood and/or saliva sample. - Some participants may get results about other health conditions. This will only happen if the information would help the person or their family protect their health. They may have to give another blood and/or saliva sample.
Background: - Overweight and obese children and adults often have lower levels of growth hormone in the blood. Regulation of growth hormone may be tied to weight and free fatty acids in the blood. Current tests of growth hormone (such as those used when evaluating the heights of children who are markedly shorter than other children of comparable age) may be affected by other factors, including obesity. Researchers are interested in evaluating the levels of growth hormone and free fatty acids in the blood of children between 7 and 14 years of age who weigh more than children of a comparable age, or who are shorter than other children of a comparable age and have been recommended for growth hormone testing as part of an evaluation for their height. Objectives: - To determine the effect of changes in free fatty acids in the blood on changes in growth hormone secretion in overweight or shorter children and young adolescents. Eligibility: - Children and adolescents between 7 and 14 years of age who weigh more than or are shorter than other children of a comparable age and do not have any medical illnesses. Design: - Participants will have two study visits, one of which will be a half day screening visit in the outpatient clinic and one of which will require 2 nights as an inpatient at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. - Participants should not eat or drink anything except water after 10 PM the night before or on the morning of the screening visit. - At the screening visit, participants will have a physical examination and medical history, provide blood and urine samples, have an oral glucose tolerance test (to check blood sugar levels), and have an x-ray of the left hand to check bone age. - The inpatient study visit will involve a physical examination and medical history, a full x-ray scan to study body fat and muscle, frequent blood tests throughout the visit, and various medications to stimulate growth hormone production and lower levels of free fatty acids in the blood.