Table 5

Diagnostic work up in correctly (CR) and not correctly referred (NCR) children > 3 years old.



University hospital
General hospital
Difference in categories between 2 hospitals (p-value)






CR (n = 284) (%)
NCR (n = 63) (%)
CR (n = 85) (%)
NCR (n = 24) (%)


Routine laboratory investigations






Anemia/infections

0.4/39.8
0.0/25.4
1.2/57.6
4.2/37.5
< 0.01
Liver diseases

22.5/4.2
2.8/0.0
14.1/21.2
8.3/25.0
0.03
Renal diseases (blood)

1.4/27.3
0.0/17.5
0.0/38.8
0.0/33.3
0.5
Celiac disease

21.1/15.8
11.1/3.2
49.4/4.7
25.0/4.2
< 0.01
Hypothyroidism

37.0/3.2
2.5/0.0
45.9/3.5
29.2/8.3
0.02
Growth hormone deficiency

35.2
9.5
45.9
25
0.02
Turner syndrome *

17.2
6.5
14.0
18.1
1.0
Renal diseases (urine)

0.0/19.4
0.0/19.0
0.0/40.0
0.0/29.2
< 0.01
Combined categories (at least one test category)

4.9/52.1
1.6/39.7
18.8/49.4
33.3/16.7
< 0.01
Further and specific diagnostics






Special investigations
Chromosomal analyses for Turner syndrome*
26.2
6.5
26.0
0.0
0.9

Biopsy**
2.1
0.0
5.9
0.0
0.03

Zinc-determination
0.4
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.6
Further, more specific tests
GH-tests
16.2
3.2
12.9
0.0
0.3

Other tests***
8.8
3.2
28.2
25.0
< 0.01

Percentages of patients with Complete (all elements)/partial (at least one element) evaluation are given (several test categories per patient).

CR = Correctly referred; NCR = Not correctly referred

* These categories are only applicable to girls. The percentages are therefore calculated only on the female population.

**biopsy to rule out celiac disease.

*** other tests, like stool examinations, X-rays of the skeleton, ultrasounds of abdomen, hart, kidneys and thyroids, serum levels of steroids, genetic analyses, immunologic tests and allergic tests

Grote et al. BMC Pediatrics 2008 8:21   doi:10.1186/1471-2431-8-21