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Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The aetiology is unclear and is thought to be multifactorial. It includes:

  • obesity -
    • 63% of the children who are diagnosed with SCFE have a weight in the 90th percentile or higher
  • growth surges
  • endocrine disorders
    • less common
    • related disorders include - hypothyroidism, growth hormone supplementation, hypogonadism, and panhypopituitarism
    • in patients with unusual presentations (e.g. - patients who are younger than eight years, older than 15 years, or underweight), an endocrine disorder should be considered as the cause of SCFE (1).

Note:

  • trauma causes fracture in a different part of the bone, and it has been variously suggested that it may be caused by hormonal (hypothyroidism and treatment with growth hormone have been implicated (2))or calcification abnormalities.
  • obese children with delayed secondary sexual development, or tall thin boys, appear particularly susceptible to this condition.

Reference:

  1. Peck D. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis: diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician. 2010;82(3):258-62.
  2. GP magazine (26/1/04), 42

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