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Growth charts for children with Down's syndrome in Saudi Arabia: birth to 5 years

M Al Husain1

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

International Journal of Clinical Practice
|May 2, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Growth charts for Saudi children with Down syndrome (DS) reveal distinct growth patterns, including short stature and weight changes. These charts aid in assessing growth for children with DS in Saudi Arabia.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Genetics
  • Anthropometry

Background:

  • Down syndrome (DS) is associated with growth abnormalities.
  • Establishing age-appropriate growth references is crucial for monitoring children with DS.
  • Previous growth data for Saudi children with DS is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To construct growth charts for Saudi children under 5 years with Down syndrome.
  • To compare the growth patterns of Saudi children with DS to normal Saudi children and international references.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective cross-sectional survey of anthropometric data (weight, height, head circumference) was conducted in 2001.
  • 785 Saudi children with DS and 989 normal Saudi children were studied.
  • Data was compared to US National Center for Health Statistics/Center for Disease Control reference data.

Main Results:

  • Children with DS exhibited significantly different growth patterns compared to normal children, characterized by short stature.
  • A high proportion of underweight children with DS was observed in the first two years, shifting towards overweight by age 3.
  • 54.5% of children with DS had head circumference below -2 SD for age and sex.

Conclusions:

  • The study confirms a genetic effect of Down syndrome on growth patterns.
  • The developed growth charts are essential for assessing growth in Saudi children with DS.
  • These charts should be used alongside those for normal children for comprehensive growth monitoring.

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