TURNERS-SYNDROME IN ITALY - FAMILIAL CHARACTERISTICS, NEONATAL DATA, STANDARDS FOR BIRTH-WEIGHT AND FOR HEIGHT AND WEIGHT FROM INFANCY TO ADULTHOOD

In 1990, the Italian Study Group for Turner's Syndrome (ISGTS) underto ok a nationwide survey, involving the retrospective collection of cros s-sectional data and longitudinal growth profiles of 772 girls with Tu rner's syndrome born between 1950 and 1990. The study was carried out in 29 pediatric endocrinological centers. In this first report, the fa milial characteristics and neonatal data of Turner girls are described , compared to those of the general population, and related to postnata l somatic development. Furthermore, charts for birth weight and growth standards for height and weight from infancy to adulthood are present ed (these are the first charts based on a large sample from the Medite rranean area). The main findings were: (1) incidence of Turner births increases with parental age or parity; (2) most of the neonates are sm all for dates; (3) girls with normal birth weight tend to be both tall er and heavier than girls with low birth weight during the whole growt h period; and (4) a IO-cm difference in midparental height leads to a 6.5-cm difference in adult stature.