The correlation between the serum insulin-like growth factor 1 level and body weight in children with a height less than the 10th percentile

Abstract

IntroductionThis study aimed to analyze the correlation between the serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and body weight and provide some bases for the clinical judgment of the influencing factors on children's height.Material and methodsA total of 333 children with a height of less than the 10th percentile were enrolled in this study. Among these children, 212 were male and 121 were female. The age of these children ranged within 5-14-years-old. Serum IGF-1 level was detected and the Z-scores (SDS) of the children’s height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were measured. The correlation among the factors was analyzed using Pearson’s correlation analysis.ResultsAge, body weight, body weight SDS, BMI and BMI SDS were all correlated with the serum IGF-1 level (P<0.0001). There was also a strong correlation between body weight and the serum IGF-1 level (r=0.718)and a weak correlation between the serum IGF-1 level and body weight SDS (r=0.359). BMI SDS was weakly correlated with serum IGF-1 (r=0.258). The correlation coefficients of age and BMI with serum IGF-1 were 0.622 and 0.536, respectively.ConclusionsThe correlation between body weight and the serum IGF-1 level is not high and it can provide some basis for the clinical judgment of the influencing factors on children's height. However, it is not the main factor affecting height.