Growth and normal puberty

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Human Growth and Development
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Understanding typical growth patterns during puberty is crucial for identifying deviations and potential health concerns.
• Previous research has established general timelines for pubertal development, but detailed analysis of specific growth characteristics across populations is ongoing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review and analyze the growth characteristics of American boys and girls during puberty.
• To quantify key metrics including age at takeoff, peak height velocity, and the contribution of pubertal growth to final adult height.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of published studies on American children's growth characteristics.
• Analysis of data including age at takeoff, age at peak height velocity, peak height velocity (PHV), duration of puberty, and pubertal contribution to adult height.

Main Results:

• Age at takeoff is variable and sex-dependent (approx. 11 years for boys, 9 years for girls).
• Peak height velocity (PHV) occurs around 13.5 years for boys and 11.5 years for girls, with mean PHV of 9.5 cm/y (boys) and 8.3 cm/y (girls).
• Pubertal growth contributes 17-18% to final height (approx. 30-31 cm for boys, 27.5-29 cm for girls); magnitude of pubertal growth negatively correlates with age at takeoff but not final height.

Conclusions:

• Pubertal growth significantly contributes to final adult height, with distinct timing and velocity differences between sexes.
• Age at takeoff is a key factor influencing pubertal duration and is strongly correlated with pubertal stage.
• While timing and duration vary, the overall contribution of pubertal growth to final height shows a consistent pattern across studies.