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Children with Down's syndrome exhibit reduced growth in length and weight from birth, with the most significant deficits occurring in the first two years. Growth may normalize after age three, but monitoring is crucial.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Genetics
- Human Growth and Development
Background:
- Down's syndrome is associated with various health complications, including growth impairments.
- Early growth patterns in children with Down's syndrome require detailed characterization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the growth trajectory (recumbent length and weight) of children with Down's syndrome from birth to 6 years.
- To identify critical periods of growth deficiency and factors influencing growth, such as cardiac conditions.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal measurements of recumbent length and weight were collected from 90 children with Down's syndrome from birth to 36 months.
- A subsample was measured at 4, 5, and 6 years of age.
- Growth data were compared to control group means and analyzed for velocity and weight-for-length relationships.
Main Results:
- At birth, children with Down's syndrome were approximately 0.5 SDs smaller than controls in length and weight.
- By 36 months, mean recumbent length was over 2 SDs below controls, and weight was 1.5 SDs below.
- Growth velocity was most affected in the first two years; 30% showed excess weight for length by 36 months.
- Children with moderate/severe heart disease were significantly smaller.
Conclusions:
- Children with Down's syndrome experience significant growth deficits, particularly in early childhood.
- Growth velocity improves after age 3, but long-term monitoring is recommended.
- Growth charts based on these data can aid in assessing growth for children with Down's syndrome.
Abstract:
A sample of 90 children with Down's syndrome were measured for recumbent length and weight from birth to age 36 months at the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston. At birth, means for both length and weight were reduced by about 0.5 SDs from the control group means. By 36 months, mean recumbent length was greater than 2 SDs below that for the control group, while the mean for weight was reduced by about 1.5 SDs from the control group mean. Growth velocity for both length and weight was most deficient within the first two years of life. About 30% of the sample demonstrated excess weight for length relations by 36 months. Children with moderate or severe heart disease were significantly smaller than those without or with mild cardiac problems at all times after birth. Measurements of a subsample of children at 4, 5, and 6 years of age suggested that growth velocity after 3 years of age may be within the range of normal. Assessment of growth of the child with Down's syndrome may be carried out with reference to charts plotting tenth to 90th percentiles based on these data.