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Body mass index in male and female children with pervasive developmental disorders
Svend E Mouridsen1, Bente Rich, Torben Isager
1Cand Psych, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. sem01@bbh.hosp.dk
Background:
The aim of the present study was to evaluate body mass index (BMI) of children with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) attending two university clinics during the 1960-84 period.
Methods:
BMI derived from medical records of 83 consecutively admitted children with atypical autism and 115 children with Asperger syndrome were compared with the corresponding BMI percentiles in an age- and sex-matched reference population.
Results:
The BMI distribution of the boys, but not the girls, in both diagnostic categories was significantly lower than those of the age-matched reference populations. Approximately 15% of the boys had a BMI below the fifth percentile.
Conclusions:
The present findings are comparable to the results of other studies. Particular attention is given to low BMI as a potential endophenotype in boys with PDD.
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