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. 2015 Nov;136(5):e1204-11.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2015-1652.

Growth Charts for Children With Down Syndrome in the United States

Babette S Zemel  1 , Mary Pipan  2 , Virginia A Stallings  3 , Waynitra Hall  4 , Kim Schadt  2 , David S Freedman  5 , Phoebe Thorpe  6
Affiliations

Growth Charts for Children With Down Syndrome in the United States

Babette S Zemel et al. Pediatrics. 2015 Nov.

Erratum in

  • Correction for ZEMEL 2015-1652.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Pediatrics. 2022 Nov 1;150(5):e2022059568. doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-059568. Pediatrics. 2022. PMID: 36305216 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have lower birth weights and grow more slowly than children without DS. Advances in and increased access to medical care have improved the health and well-being of individuals with DS; however, it is unknown whether their growth has also improved. Our objective was to develop new growth charts for children with DS and compare them to older charts from the United States and more contemporary charts from the United Kingdom.

Methods: The Down Syndrome Growing Up Study (DSGS) enrolled a convenience sample of children with DS up to 20 years of age and followed them longitudinally. Growth parameters were measured by research anthropometrists. Sex-specific growth charts were generated for the age ranges birth to 36 months and 2 to 20 years using the LMS method. Weight-for-length and BMI charts were also generated. Comparisons with other curves were presented graphically.

Results: New DSGS growth charts were developed by using 1520 measurements on 637 participants. DSGS growth charts for children <36 months of age showed marked improvements in weight compared with older US charts. DSGS charts for 2- to 20-year-olds showed that contemporary males are taller than previous charts showed. Generally, the DSGS growth charts are similar to the UK charts.

Conclusions: The DSGS growth charts can be used as screening tools to assess growth and nutritional status and to provide indications of how growth of an individual child compares with peers of the same age and sex with DS.

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Conflict of interest statement

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Curve comparisons for weight in kilograms and length in centimeters for male and female subjects, birth to 36 months of age. Contemporary curves from the DSGS (solid line) are compared with those from the US 1988 curves from Cronk et al (dotted line) and the UK 2002 curves from Styles et al (dashed line).
FIGURE 1
Curve comparisons for weight in kilograms and length in centimeters for male and female subjects, birth to 36 months of age. Contemporary curves from the DSGS (solid line) are compared with those from the US 1988 curves from Cronk et al (dotted line) and the UK 2002 curves from Styles et al (dashed line).
FIGURE 2. Curve comparisons for weight in kilograms and height in centimeters for male and female subjects, 2 to 20 years of age. Contemporary curves from the DSGS (solid line) are compared with those from the US 1988 curves from Cronk et al (dotted line) and the UK 2002 curves from Styles et al (dashed line).
FIGURE 2
Curve comparisons for weight in kilograms and height in centimeters for male and female subjects, 2 to 20 years of age. Contemporary curves from the DSGS (solid line) are compared with those from the US 1988 curves from Cronk et al (dotted line) and the UK 2002 curves from Styles et al (dashed line).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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