Is collagen X marker (CXM) a useful index of growth velocity in children with chronic kidney disease?

Body growth is an accurate reflection of a child’s health and is invariably affected in chronic diseases. Short stature has a serious adverse impact on self-esteem and social integration of individuals. Achieving normal adult height is a major challenge for the pediatric nephrologist in the management and follow-up of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, despite adequate clinical and metabolic control, growth impairment remains a frequent and major manifestation in pediatric patients with CKD [1]. Forced feeding to optimize nutrition in infants, administration of growth hormone (GH), intensification of dialysis in children with stage V CKD, and kidney transplantation with normal function and free of steroid immunosuppression in prepubertal patients are all measures capable of increasing the rate of length/height gain and inducing catch-up growth, thus improving the final height prognosis of children and adolescents with CKD. …