Investigations recommended in children referred to secondary or tertiary care with short stature2 15 22
| Investigation | To detect or exclude |
| Biochemical | |
| Full blood count (FBC) | Anaemia* |
| Renal function (creatinine and electrolytes) | Renal disorders |
| Liver function test | Liver disease |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) | Infection/inflammatory disorders* |
| Calcium, phosphate (Ca/PO4) alkaline phosphatase (ALP) | Renal/Ca/PO4 disorders |
| Tissue transglutaminase (TTG) | Coeliac disease |
| Immunoglobulin A (IgA) | Coeliac disease |
| Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) | Growth hormone deficiency |
| Free thyroxine (fT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) | Hypothyroidism |
| Karyotype (or if not available Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) if <2 or>9 year)† | Turner syndrome |
| Radiological | |
| Bone age | Assess growth delay |
| Skeletal X-rays (if disproportion is present) | Skeletal dysplasias |
Panel of investigations proposed in international consensus statements from Oostdijk et al 2, Cohen et al 22 and Grote et al 15.
*To screen for coeliac disease/cystic fibrosis.
†Only in females.