Clinical and genetic analysis for four Chinese families with Prader-Willi syndrome

Growth patterns of Chinese patients with Prader-Willi syndrome

The aim of the present study was to investigate the spontaneous development of growth and weight gain of patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) in Mainland China. We retrospectively analyzed 120 cases of PWS diagnosed from 1994 to 2014 in Mainland China. Scatter diagram of the growth data was compared to standardized growth curve. The length at birth was similar to the normal population and the mean birthweight is under the 50th centile of normal population. Heights in 43% (27/62) of patients had dropped off below the 3(rd) centile of their peers after 5 years of age. Weights in 65.9% (58/88) of patients had exceeded the 97(th) centile of their peers after 3 years of age. Early obesity is obvious in 92.9% (66/71) of patients with body mass index (BMI) up the 97(th) centile of their peers from 2-3 years of age. Final mean height is 149.3 ± 11.2 cm for females (n = 7) and 146.2 ± 9.8 cm for males (n = 6), showing 11.3 cm and 26.6 cm below the average height for normal Chinese girls and boys. The growth pattern of PWS in Mainland China is comparable to those in Caucasians. Early intervention with recombinant human growth hormone is warranted considering the early onset of growth retardation and obesity.