Abstract
Early protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) causes delay on growth and bone maturation. This can be shown on body size and bone age of survivors of severe malnutrition. It has been stated that the delay on bone maturation would permit a prolongation of the growth period that favours catch up growth if nutritional conditions improve. We studied 20 children aged 12 years old (10 of each sex) who suffered PCM early in life and needed treatment in a Closed Nutritional Recovery Center (CNRC), being discharged after complete nutritional recovery. This group was compared with age and sex matched controls who had never been malnourished. Both groups belonged to the same low socioeconomic background. We found significant differences in body size both for males and females in favour of the control groups (p < 0.001). Bone age showed sexual differences, with delay in both groups of males (p < 0.01) but not in the females. In relation to puberty we found that sexual maturation in girls was similar in both groups and not related to their nutritional background. These results suggest that early, severe, treated malnutrition reduces growth but not necessarily bone maturation. Sexual maturation appears to be independent of nutritional history.
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