Abstract
Growth velocity charts are important to evaluate the growth of a subject and are available for height and weight, in both boys and girls. Height or weight velocity is a variable derived from the measurement of height or weight at different times and represents the increase in height or weight during a fixed period. Height or weight velocity charts depict the age-dependent changes in velocity that characterize human postnatal growth. Height velocity (HV) is characterized by rapid progress from birth up to the end of the first year of life, followed by decreases through the second year. The male neonate grows slightly faster than the female, but the velocities equilibrate at 7 months of age. Then, up to adolescence there are no significant differences in growth rates. The adolescent height spurt in females begins at 10.5 years and reaches a peak at about 12 years. Males instead exhibit the pubertal spurt later at 12.5 years and reach a peak HV at 14 years. The curves for weight velocity (WV) show a peak before the first year of age for both boys and girls. The male WV is greater at birth, but reaches an equilibrium with female WV at about 8 months and then gradually lags behind the female WV until adolescence. During pubertal development WV peaks at about 12.9 years in girls and 14.3 years in boys; peak WV generally occurs at a slightly older age than peak HV. Growth velocity is central to the diagnosis of growth retardation. In the presence of a very low single value for HV (3rd centile), the paediatrician should start a prompt endocrinological evaluation. When height is >3rd centile and more than one HV value is available, an endocrinological evaluation is warranted when the values are persistently under the 25th centile. An HV value consistently above the 75th centile should be checked and correlated to signs of precocious puberty and elevated body weight. In conclusion, growth velocity charts are valuable tools for the paediatrician and can be used by clinicians in the screening and assessment of metabolic/endocrinological disorders.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Abbreviations
- GHD:
-
Growth hormone deficiency
- HV:
-
Height velocity
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- WV:
-
Weight velocity
References
Baumgartner RN, Roche AF, Himes JH. Incremental growth tables: supplementary to previously published charts. Am J Clin Nutr. 1986;43:711–22.
Benso L. Auxologia dal feto all’uomo: la crescita fisica dal concepimento alla maturità . Torino: UTET; 1981.
Betts PR, Voss LD, Bailey BJ. Measuring the heights of very young children. Br Med J. 1992;304:1351–2.
Brook CGD. Growth assessment in childhood and adolescence. Oxford: Blackwell; 1982.
Brook CGD, Hindmarsh PC, Healy MJR. A better way to detect growth failure. Br Med J. 1986;293:1186.
Cole TJ. Growth charts for both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Stat Med. 1994;13:2477–92.
Danner E, Joeckel R, Michalak S, Phillips S, Goday PS. Weight velocity in infants and children. Nutr Clin Pract. 2009;24:76–9.
De Sanctis V. Manual of growth charts and body standard measurements. 2nd ed. Pisa: Pacini Editore; 2001.
Falkner F. Some physical measurements in the first three years of life. Arch Dis Child. 1958;33:1–9.
Falorni A, Galmacci G, Bini V, Faraoni F, Molinari D, Cabiati G, Sanasi M, Celi F, Di Stefano G, Berioli MG, Contessa G, Bacosi ML. Using obese-specific charts of height and height velocity for assessment of growth in obese children and adolescents during weight excess reduction. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999;53:181–8.
Guo S, Roche AF, Fomon SJ, Nelson SE, Chumlea WC, Rogers RR, Baumgartner RN, Ziegler EE, Siervogel RM. Reference data on gains in weight and length during the first two years of life. J Pediatr. 1991;119:355–62.
Hall DM. Growth monitoring. Arch Dis Child. 2000;82:10–5.
Meguid NA, El-Kotoury AI, Abdel-Salam GM, El-Ruby MO, Afifi HH. Growth charts of Egyptian children with Down syndrome (0–36 months). East Mediterr. Health J. 2004;10:106–5.
Parent AS, Teilmann G, Juul A, Skakkebaek NE, Toppari J, Bourguignon JP. The timing of normal puberty and the age limits of sexual precocity: variations around the world, secular trends, and changes after migration. Endocr Rev. 2003;24:668–93.
Prader A, Largo RH, Molinari L, Issler C. Physical growth of Swiss children from birth to 20 years of age. First Zurich longitudinal study of growth and development. Helv Paediatr Acta Suppl. 1989;52:1–125.
Rigon F, Bianchin L, Bernasconi S, Bona G, Bozzola M, Buzi F, Cicognani A, De Sanctis C, De Sanctis V, Radetti G, Tatò L, Tonini G, Perissinotto E. Update on age at menarche in Italy: toward the leveling off of the secular trend. J Adolesc Health. 2009; 46:238–244.
Roche AF, Guo S, Moore WM. Weight and recumbent length from 1 to 12 mo of age: reference data for 1-mo increments. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989;49:599–607.
Rongen-Westerlaken C, Corel L, van den Broeck J, Massa G, Karlberg J, Albertsson-Wikland K, Naeraa RW, Wit JM. Reference values for height, height velocity and weight in Turner’s syndrome. Swedish Study Group for GH treatment. Acta Paediatr. 1997;86:937–42.
Tanner JM, Whitehouse RH, Takaishi M. Standards from birth to maturity for height, weight, height velocity, and weight velocity: British children. Arch Dis Child. 1966a;41:454–71.
Tanner JM, Whitehouse RH, Takaishi M. Standards from birth to maturity for height, weight, height velocity, and weight velocity: British children. Arch Dis Child. 1966b;41:613–35.
Van den Broeck J, Hokken-Koelega A, Wit J. Validity of height velocity as a diagnostic criterion for idiopathic growth hormone deficiency and Turner syndrome. Horm Res. 1999;51:68–73.
Voss LD. The reliability of height and height velocity in the assessment of growth (the Wessex Growth Study). J Med Screen. 1995;2:164–7.
Voss LD, Wilkin TJ, Bailey BJ, Betts PR. Can we measure growth? Arch Dis Child. 1991;66:833–7.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Laurene Kelly for English revision of the paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bozzola, M., Meazza, C. (2012). Growth Velocity Curves: What They Are and How to Use Them. In: Preedy, V. (eds) Handbook of Growth and Growth Monitoring in Health and Disease. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1795-9_180
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1795-9_180
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1794-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1795-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)