[Selected body proportions in girls with Turner's syndrome]

Typical features in Turner s syndrome (TS) are growth deficit and abnormal body proportions resulting from shorter lower extremities in relation to trunk height and larger shoulder girdle, compared with healthy girls.

To compare upper body length to body height (bh) in TS and healthy girls.

The following variables were recorded: body height (bh), sitting height (sh), upper extremity length, chest and hips girth (cg). In addition, body stature index equal to the ratio bs/bh was computed. Girls with TS aged 7-14 years (n=46) and healthy short-statured girls (below 10th percentile) in the same age ranges (n=46, respectively) were studied.

Compared to healthy short-statured girls, Turner ones did not differ significantly with respect to body height (bh), and upper extremity length,. The index of height proportion (sh/bh) in healthy and TS girls aged 7-14 years amounted to 0.519+/-0.002 and 0.546+/-0.003, The differences were in both cases highly significant (p<0.001). Moreover, Turner girls were significantly heavier, had significantly larger hip and chest girths than healthy short-statured girls.

Basic anthropometric measurements or the index of height proportion measured at the early-school age may serve as a simple diagnostic tool in screening abnormal growth proportions, e.g. in Turner s syndrome.