National growth charts for United Arab Emirates children with Down syndrome from birth to 15 years of age.

Elhadi H Aburawi,Nicolas Nagelkerke,Asma Deeb,Shahrban Abdulla,Yousef M Abdulrazzaq

doi:10.2188/jea.je20130081

Elhadi H Aburawi, Nicolas Nagelkerke + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.je20130081

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Abstract

BackgroundSpecific centile growth charts for children with Down syndrome (DS) have been produced in many countries and are known to differ from those of normal children. Since growth assessment depends on the growth pattern characteristic for these conditions, disorder-specific charts are desirable for various ethnic groups.AimsTo provide cross-sectional weight, height, and head circumference (HC) references for healthy United Arab Emirates (UAE) children with DS.MethodsA retrospective and cross-sectional growth study of Emirati children with DS, aged 0 to 18 years old, was conducted. Height, weight, and HC were measured in each child. Cole’s LMS statistical method was applied to estimate age-specific percentiles, and measurements were compared to UAE reference values for normal children.ResultsIncidence of DS in the UAE population is 1 in 374 live births (267 in 10 000 live births). We analyzed 1263 growth examinations of 182 children with DS born between 1994 and 2012. The male-to-female ratio was 1.6:1. Height, weight, and HC centile charts were constructed for ages 0 to 13 years. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in DS children aged 10 to 13 years of age was 32% and 19%, respectively. The DS children were significantly shorter and heavier than normal children in the UAE.ConclusionsWeight, height, and HC growth charts were created for children with DS. These can be used as a reference standard for the UAE children with DS. Overweight and obesity are quite common in DS children ≥10 years of age, as DS children tend to be shorter and heavier than non-DS children.

Highlights

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a mixed society, with UAE nationals (Emiratis) and nationals of 120 other countries comprising a total estimated population in 2011 of 8 264 070, of which around 1 million are Emiratis
Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of a part or a full extra copy of chromosome 21 resulting in 47 chromosomes, and the most common type is meiotic non-disjunction causing trisomy 21 (95%); other types are Robertsonian translocation and mosaic type
Growth charts exist for DS8,10,18,19 and for other chromosomal conditions like Turner syndrome,[20] Noonan syndrome,[21] and Prader-Willi syndrome,[22] but none of these growth charts have been validated for the UAE

Summary

Introduction

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a mixed society, with UAE nationals (Emiratis) and nationals of 120 other countries comprising a total estimated population in 2011 of 8 264 070, of which around 1 million are Emiratis. Specific centile growth charts for children with Down syndrome (DS) have been produced in many countries and are known to differ from those of normal children. Aims: To provide cross-sectional weight, height, and head circumference (HC) references for healthy United Arab Emirates (UAE) children with DS. Cole’s LMS statistical method was applied to estimate age-specific percentiles, and measurements were compared to UAE reference values for normal children. Conclusions: Weight, height, and HC growth charts were created for children with DS. These can be used as a reference standard for the UAE children with DS. Overweight and obesity are quite common in DS children ≥10 years of age, as DS children tend to be shorter and heavier than non-DS children

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