Determinants of catch-up growth in international adoptees from eastern europe.

Children raised in orphanages frequently experience growth suppression due to multiple risk factors. Placing such children in more nurturing environments through adoption leads to significant catch-up growth (CUG), the determinants of which are not entirely understood. The goal of this study was to perform an auxological evaluation and examine the degree and correlates of CUG in international adoptees.

Auxological evaluation and determinants of growth failure at the time of adoption in Eastern European adoptees.

Aim: To identify factors contributing to growth failure in international adoptees (IAs) from Eastern Europe.

Study Design: 138 IAs from Eastern Europe, 6-59 months old, were evaluated within 3 weeks of US arrival. Complete history, anthropometry, and serum for growth factors were obtained.

Long-term growth and puberty concerns in international adoptees.

Growth delay is one of the most common and persistent findings in children who have been adopted from abroad. Although the cause is not clearly understood, it may be related to the observed phenomenon of psychosocial short stature described in children from abusive and neglectful settings in western countries. Fortunately, adopted children generally experience significant improvement in growth after joining their new family, but this may put girls at risk for early and rapidly progressing puberty.

International adoption: a health and developmental prospective.

Adoptions from international countries have become an option for many US families, with over 150,000 children adopted in the past 14 years. Typically, internationally adopted children present with a host of medical and developmental concerns. Issues such as growth stunting, abnormal behaviors, and significant delays in motor, speech, and language development are likely directly related to the prenatal and early postnatal environment experienced prior to adoption.

International adoptions: myths and realities.

Internationally adopted children come from high risk environments that differ significantly from those of children born and raised in the United States. This can impact their developmental and parenting needs. Aware adoptive parents can do many things to lessen the effects of a highly deprived early start to life and encourage optimal development.