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Skeletal maturity of Japanese children in Western Kyushu
Insights
Japanese children in Western Kyushu exhibit delayed skeletal maturity before age 12 (boys) and 10 (girls) compared to British standards. Their skeletal development varies within Japan, showing differences from Tokyo and Sapporo populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Anthropology
- Radiology
Background:
- Skeletal maturity assessment is crucial for evaluating growth and development in children.
- Understanding population-specific variations in skeletal maturity is important for accurate growth assessment.
- The Tanner-Whitehouse (TW2) method is a widely used standard for assessing skeletal maturity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the skeletal maturity status of Japanese children in Western Kyushu.
- To investigate variations in skeletal maturity within Japanese populations.
- To compare Western Kyushu children's skeletal maturity with British standards and other Japanese populations.
Main Methods:
- Radiographic assessment of hand-wrist skeletal maturity using the Tanner-Whitehouse (1975) (TW2) method.
- Study included 500 boys and 485 girls aged 4 to 15 years from Western Kyushu.
- Skeletal maturity scores analyzed included RUS, carpals, and 20-bone assessments.
Main Results:
- Western Kyushu children demonstrated retarded skeletal maturity scores (RUS, carpals, 20-bone) before age 12 for boys and 10 for girls.
- After these ages, Western Kyushu children showed advanced skeletal maturity compared to the British standard.
- Compared to other Japanese populations, Western Kyushu children exhibited delayed maturity relative to Tokyo but were similar to Sapporo children.
Conclusions:
- Skeletal maturity in Western Kyushu children shows a distinct pattern, initially delayed then advanced relative to British standards.
- Significant variations in skeletal maturity exist within Japanese populations, influenced by factors like secular trends.
- These findings highlight the importance of using population-specific data for accurate skeletal maturity assessment in pediatric care.
Abstract:
This paper describes the skeletal maturity status of Japanese children in Western Kyushu and its variation within Japanese populations. Hand-wrist skeletal maturity was assessed by the Tanner-Whitehouse (1975) (TW2) method from radiographs of 500 boys and 485 girls aged from 4 to 15 years. Western Kyushu children showed retarded skeletal maturity scores (RUS, carpals, and 20-bone) under the age of 12 years for boys and 10 years for girls, and thereafter they were advanced in relation to the British standard. Within Japanese populations the present sample showed delayed maturity compared to Tokyo children, but was close to that of Sapporo children throughout the age range studied. However, the expected effect of secular trend suggested skeletal maturity more advanced for Tokyo children and somewhat advanced one for Sapporo children compared to that of Western Kyushu children.