title: Growth, nutritional status, and signs of rickets in 0-5-year-old children in a Kashin-Beck disease endemic area of Central Tibet.
abstract: In order to describe the growth of 0-5-year-old Tibetan children living in a Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) endemic rural area and to examine the relationship between anthropometric indicators and clinical signs of rickets, we analyzed the baseline data of a cohort of 668 children enrolled in a prospective program of calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Tibetan children suffer from growth retardation. Z score of weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height was below -2 in 32.5%, 27.7%, and 12.1% of the children, respectively. Clinical signs of severe rickets are highly prevalent. Underweight, stunting, and clinical rickets increases with age. Prevalence of malnutrition was higher in the presence of signs of rickets. The proportion of children with a head circumference Z score < -2 was lowest when signs of rickets were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stunting and underweight are frequent and probably associated with rickets.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Metabolism Unit, University Children's Hospital Queen Fabiola, Brussels, Belgium. srooze@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: Shancy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rooze
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dramaix-Wilmet
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bally
authors.forename: Dikki
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yangzom
authors.forename: Jin Zhong
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goyens
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D057238:Growth Charts; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D057767:Kashin-Beck Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012279:Rickets / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D013851:Thinness / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D018609:Tibet / Q000453:epidemiology; D019282:Wasting Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology