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Gender differences in the ratio between humerus width and length are established prior to puberty
E M Clark1, A R Ness, J H Tobias
1Community Based Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. Emma.Clark@bristol.ac.uk
Summary
Gender differences in humerus shape, specifically a greater width-to-length ratio in boys, are established before puberty. This finding, observed in 1,317 children using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans, highlights early developmental variations in bone geometry.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Bone biology
- Human anatomy
Background:
- Male long bones typically exhibit greater cross-sectional area than female long bones, attributed to accelerated periosteal bone growth in boys.
- Existing research is unclear whether observed differences in bone size reflect variations in bone size or shape.
- This study investigates gender-based differences in the balance of longitudinal and periosteal bone growth, influencing humerus shape, and their establishment before puberty.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if gender differences in humerus shape exist in children.
- To investigate if these shape differences are established prior to puberty.
- To develop and apply a novel method for assessing humerus shape from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans.
Main Methods:
- Utilized total body DXA scans from 1,317 children (aged 9.9 years) within the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort.
- Calculated humerus aspect ratio (AR) as width divided by length, alongside measurements of humeral length, area, and width.
- Assessed pubertal status using self-completion questionnaires and pooled fracture and non-fracture groups for analysis.
Main Results:
- Humeral width and length correlated positively with age and height in both genders, and with Tanner stage in girls.
- Humeral aspect ratio (AR) showed no association with age, height, or Tanner stage.
- Prepubertal boys exhibited significantly greater humeral width and area compared to prepubertal girls, resulting in a higher AR, with similar differences noted in early puberty.
Conclusions:
- Greater periosteal diameter in boys compared to girls is due to differing balances between longitudinal and periosteal bone growth.
- Gender-based differences in humerus aspect ratio are evident even in prepubertal children.
- The novel DXA-based method provides insights into early-onset gender dimorphism in bone shape.
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