Longitudinal growth and height velocity of Japanese children with Down's syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the natural growth pattern of Japanese children with Down's syndrome.


METHODS
Longitudinal height data of 85 patients (43 males, 42 females) from birth to final height were analyzed. Based on these data, semi-longitudinal standard growth curves and height velocity curves for Down's syndrome were drawn.


RESULTS
The means +/- SD of final height of males and females with Down's syndrome were 153.2 +/- 5.6 and 141.9 +/- 4.2 cm, respectively. They were -3.0 SD and -2.8 SD for Japanese standards. Mean peak height velocities were 8.9 and 7.5 cm y(-1), and the ages at peak height velocity were 11.6 and 10.2 y for males and females, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The mean height of patients with Down's syndrome was around -2 SD for normal children before puberty. Their pubertal growth spurt starts about 1 y earlier and their peak height velocity was about 1.3-1.4 cm shorter than for normal children.
Division of Medical Genetics, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center, Yokohama, Japan.
J
J
Kimura
K
K
Tachibana
K
K
Imaizumi
K
K
Kurosawa
Y
Y
Kuroki
D044466:Asian People; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male