The Clinical and Epidemiological Peculiarities of Short Stature during childhood in the Odessa Region (Ukraine)

Abstract

The clinical and epidemiological examination of children who present to a children’s clinic in the Odessa region (Ukraine) demonstrates under diagnoses of short stature, including Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD). Optimization of GHD management is a significant challenge in primary health care in Ukraine. Parent awareness of GHD and education on the importance of treatment adherence, up-to-date training for medical staff, more emphasis on using the national growth charts for growth monitoring, increased family and social support to the patient, and social media development are strategies needed to improve primary health care medicine in developing nations. There is a need for database and registries for monitoring various possible ethnicity-specific growth responses and adverse effects. Ukraine-specific databases or registries may help provide epidemiological data for GHD in the Ukrainian context.