GROWTH-CURVES OF DUTCH CHILDREN WITH DOWNS-SYNDROME

Two thousand and forty-five observations an height and weight were col lected from 295 healthy Dutch children with Down's syndrome. in a cros s-sectional analysis, means and standard deviation's were calculated p er age-class, and subsequently smoothed, resulting, in age references between 0 and 20 years. Each child contributed only once in every age class. In a subgroup in whom more than four measurements were availabl e before puberty, quadratic regression functions were determined on th e basis of the the full data st, as well as for individual children se parately (54 boys and 25 girls). The average coefficients of the indiv idual regression functions were almost identical to the coefficients o f the regression line through all data, indicating that the reference curve for the mean height based on cross-sectional analysis adequately represents longitudinal growth during childhood. Dutch children with Down's syndrome are taller than their US peers (P-50 equals P-75) but More than 2 SD shorter than normal Dutch children. Above the age of 10 years, the mean weight for height is above the P-90 of normal childre n.