Cross-sectional growth study in patients with Turner's syndrome

The body height, weight and growth velocity were investigated in 416 patients with Turner's syndrome whose age ranged from 3 to 17 years. They were all prepubertal at the time of the present study. The chromosomal analysis revealed 45, X monosomy in 148 cases, mosaicism in 208 cases, and nonmosaic structural abnormalities of X chromosome in 60 cases. There were no significant differences in height, growth velocity and weight between the patients with the 45, X karyotype and those with other chromosomal variants at any age. Combined mean heights at 3, 10 and 17 years of age were 86.0 +/- 3.5 (m +/- SD), 116.7 +/- 5.8 and 136.8 +/- 4.8 cm, respectively. These values were below -2.0 SD of normal Japanese girls. The growth velocity was 6.0 +/- 0.5 cm/year at 4 years of age, but decreased gradually and was 1.6 +/- 0.7 cm/year at 17 years of age. The degree of overweight was within +/- 10% of ideal body weight for height between the ages of 3 and 8, 10-20% between the ages of 9 and 10, and 20-30% above the age of 11 years.