Growth Pattern in Paediatric Crohn's Disease is Related to Inflammatory Status.

Objectives: The respective role of disease activity and steroid therapy in growth impairment in paediatric-onset Crohn's disease (CD) is still debated. Our aim was to investigate whether the growth pattern of CD children was correlated with the inflammatory status during the disease course, regardless the cumulative duration of steroid therapy. Methods: 107 patients with a diagnosis of CD =2 years and for whom >=2 height measures were available during follow-up, were identified between 1998 and 2010. Height, C-reactive protein (CRP), orosomucoid and steroid therapy duration were collected at each visit. The relationship between the evolution of growth velocity and inflammatory status during follow-up was investigated using a linear mixed model with random coefficients. Results: Median age at diagnosis was 11.7 years (Q1-Q3: 9.8-13.5). Mean height for age (H/A) z-score was 0.14 +/- 1.29 at diagnosis and 0.05 +/- 1.23 among the 75 patients who had reached their final height at maximal follow-up (median: 4.9 years; Q1-Q3: 3.8-6.4). Growth failure (H/A z-score

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