What is the difference between short stature and growth failure?
Short stature compares an individual’s height to a reference group, while growth failure refers to abnormally slow growth that will not reach the genetically expected adult height. They often, but not always, occur together. For example, a child may have short stature (e.g., height 5th percentile of other children his/her age and gender) without growth failure (i.e., if his/her parents are also 5th percentile). Likewise, a child may have growth failure without short stature (e.g., height percentile for age falling from 90th percentile to 50th percentile).
