ABSTRACT
Growth patterns, final stature, and clinical manifestations were studied in a review of the records of 105 patients with congenital rubella syndrome followed longitudinally. Of the patients (35 male, 51 female), 86 had achieved final heights. Three patterns of growth were observed: normal growth, growth consistently below the 5th percentile, and growth within the normal range or slightly below the 5th percentile followed by early cessation of growth and final height usually below the 5th percentile. Significant cognitive deficits were not observed in patients with normal growth patterns, except for one patient with profound mental retardation. The magnitude of the cognitive deficits was closely correlated with the degree of growth failure (p less than 0.001). We postulate that the rubella virus exerts its effect on somatic growth both in utero and postnatally, at a central and peripheral level, through multiple mechanisms.
Subject(s)
Developmental Disabilities/etiology , Rubella Syndrome, Congenital/physiopathology , Rubella/physiopathology , Adolescent , Adult , Body Height , Body Weight , Cephalometry , Female , Humans , Intellectual Disability/physiopathology , MaleABSTRACT
This comparative study, conducted on 28 boys and girls of widely varying fatness, was designed to validate a new whole-body composition method [total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC)], based on bioelectrical properties of the human body. A significant correlation [r = 0.911; standard error of the estimate (SEE) = 5.3 kg] was demonstrated between the transformed TOBEC scores (TOBEC0.5 X Ht) and lean body mass (LBM) determined by hydrodensitometry and corrected for individual variations in hydration (LBMd + W). TOBEC determinations also correlated well with 1) total body water determined by deuterium oxide dilution (r = 0.877; SEE = 4.5 liters), 2) total body potassium determined by means of a 4 pi whole-body counter (r = 0.860; SEE = 430.7 meq), 3) LBM derived from skinfold thicknesses (r = 0.850; SEE = 5.8 kg). The residuals of the regression between LBMd + W and TOBEC scores did not show any significant correlation with either the potassium or the water content of the LBM. The results indicate that TOBEC is a simple, rapid, reliable, and noninvasive technique for delineating changes in body composition that occur in children during growth.
