Characterisation of the somatic evolution of Portuguese children with Trisomy 21--preliminary results

Growth charts for Mexican children with Down syndrome

We present the results of a prospective, observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study performed on a Mexican population of 1867 children, aged 0-18 years, with Down syndrome (DS), observed between 2013 and 2019. A total of 9968 measurements of height, weight, and head circumference, as well as calculation of body mass index (BMI) were used to create growth charts and tables of percentiles. Growth curves were elaborated using Cole's LMS method. The mean weight and length at birth did not differ by sex: the weight was 2750 g for boys and 2710 g for girls (p > 0.05), and the length was 48.2 cm for boys and 47.9 cm for girls (p > 0.05). The mean final height at 18 years was different by sex: 149.6 cm for boys and 141.2 cm for girls. The average BMI at 18 years was 24.2 kg/m² for boys and 21.9 kg/m² for girls. In a comparison with U.S. growth charts, we find that the Mexican population has lower height and weight. These are the first growth curves for the Mexican population with DS. They can be used by health care providers to optimize preventive care by monitoring children with DS for the early identification of factors that affect individual growth.

Growth charts for Brazilian children with Down syndrome: Birth to 20 years of age

BACKGROUND

The growth of youth with Down syndrome (DS) differs from that of youth without DS, and growth charts specific to DS have been developed. However, little is known about the growth of Brazilian youth with DS. The objective of this study was to construct growth charts for Brazilian youth with DS and compare the growth data with the Child Growth Standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and charts for children with DS from other studies.

METHODS

Mixed longitudinal and cross-sectional data were collected at University of Campinas, 48 specialized centers for people with intellectual disabilities, and two foundations for people with DS between 2012 and 2015. A total of 10,516 growth measurements from birth to 20 years of age were available from 938 youth with DS (53.7% boys) born between 1980 and 2013. The Lambda Mu Sigma method was applied to construct the curves using generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape.

RESULTS

Length/height-for-age, weight-for-age, and head circumference-for-age percentile curves were generated for Brazilian boys and girls from birth to 20 years of age. Differences in growth of Brazilian youth ranged from -0.8 to -3.2 z-scores compared to WHO standards, and -1.9 to +1.3 compared to children with DS in other studies.

CONCLUSIONS

These specific growth charts may guide clinicians and families in monitoring the growth of Brazilian children and adolescents with DS.

National growth charts for United Arab Emirates children with Down syndrome from birth to 15 years of age

Background

Specific centile growth charts for children with Down syndrome (DS) have been produced in many countries and are known to differ from those of normal children. Since growth assessment depends on the growth pattern characteristic for these conditions, disorder-specific charts are desirable for various ethnic groups.

Aims

To provide cross-sectional weight, height, and head circumference (HC) references for healthy United Arab Emirates (UAE) children with DS.

Methods

A retrospective and cross-sectional growth study of Emirati children with DS, aged 0 to 18 years old, was conducted. Height, weight, and HC were measured in each child. Cole’s LMS statistical method was applied to estimate age-specific percentiles, and measurements were compared to UAE reference values for normal children.

Results

Incidence of DS in the UAE population is 1 in 374 live births (267 in 10 000 live births). We analyzed 1263 growth examinations of 182 children with DS born between 1994 and 2012. The male-to-female ratio was 1.6:1. Height, weight, and HC centile charts were constructed for ages 0 to 13 years. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in DS children aged 10 to 13 years of age was 32% and 19%, respectively. The DS children were significantly shorter and heavier than normal children in the UAE.

Conclusions

Weight, height, and HC growth charts were created for children with DS. These can be used as a reference standard for the UAE children with DS. Overweight and obesity are quite common in DS children ≥10 years of age, as DS children tend to be shorter and heavier than non-DS children.