Short stature in children with atopic eczema.

Short stature, defined as a standing height below the third centile when corrected for mid-parental height, was found in 22% of children with atopic eczema troublesome enough to cause regular attendance at hospital. The cause of this short stature is unknown in most cases, but contributory factors comprise topical steroid therapy, co-existing asthma, inhaled or oral steroid therapy, malnutrition due to unsupervised dietary restriction, loss of sleep, and vitamin D deficiency. If the short stature is simply associated with severe disease and not attributable to steroid therapy, and if the disease remits before puberty, then catch-up growth can be expected. If the short stature is caused by steroid therapy, or if severe disease persists into adult life, then permanent growth stunting may occur.