Anthropometric measurements in Down's syndrome children during preschool period - Part I

The present study was conducted to find out the difference in the anthropometric measurement of Down’s syndrome children up to three years of age compared to normal controls. Anthropometric measurements of 20 children up to the age of three years with Down’s syndrome, diagnosed by chromosomal studies were recorded. Down’s syndrome children had lower anthropometric measurements compared to controls. Among the anthropometric measurements; weight, head circumference and chest circumference in males showed significant difference compared to controls. Midarm circumference in both sexes and chest circumference in female children did not show any significant difference between cases and controls. This may be due to the smaller sample size in our study. However; when they were grouped into different age groups the weight of these children was significantly lower in 0 to 24 months in case of males, while in females between 9 to 24 months only. Head circumference measurement was significantly low below 24 months in both male and female cases. Chest circumference measurements differed significantly only in male cases below 24 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the mid arm circumference except in females of 9 to 24 months age group. In conclusion, Down’s syndrome children showed lower growth potential compared to the controls.