Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

Body mass index (BMI) in Turner syndrome before and during growth hormone (GH) therapy

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 232–235 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study whether body mass index (BMI) is different in girls with Turner syndrome (TS) compared to normal girls, and whether BMI in TS is affected by growth hormone (GH) treatment.

DESIGN: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

SUBJECTS: 2468 girls with TS enrolled in the National Cooperative Group Study (NCGS), a collaborative surveillance study for assessing GH-treated children.

MEASUREMENTS: BMI and BMI standard deviation score (BMI SDS) at baseline and during GH treatment were computed from height and weight data.

RESULTS: BMI in TS patients increases with age as expected. However, BMI SDS increased starting at about age 9 y. A similar pattern of increase in BMI SDS was observed after each year of GH treatment for up to 4 y, but GH treatment did not change the magnitude of increase. BMI and BMI SDS curves before and during GH treatment were essentially superimposable.

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that mechanisms specific for TS are responsible for the age-related increase in BMI SDS. This increase was unaffected by GH treatment.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Saenger P . Turner's syndrome New Engl J Med 1996 335: 1749–1754.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Van den Broeck J, Massa GG, Attanasio A, Metranga A, Chaussain JL, Price DA, Aarskog D, Wit JM . Final height after long-term growth hormone treatment in Turner syndrome J Pediatr 1995 127: 729–735.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Nilsson KO, Albertsson-Wikland K, Alm J, Aronson S, Gustafsson J, Hagenas L, Hager A, Ivarsson SA, Karlberg J, Kristom B, Marcus C, Moell C, Ritzen M, Tuvemo T, Wattsgard C, Westgren U, Westphal O, Aman J . Improved final height in girls with Turner's syndrome treated with growth hormone and oxandrolone J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996 81: 635–640.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rosenfeld RG, Attie KM, Frane J, Brasel JA, Burstein S, Casa JF, Chernausek S, Gotlin RW, Kuntze J, Lippe BM, Mahoney CP, Moore WV, Saenger P, Johanson AJ . Growth hormone therapy of Turner's syndrome: beneficial effect on adult height J Pediatr 1998 132: 319–324.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Hall JG, Sybert VP, Williamson RA, Fisher NL, Reed SD . Turner syndrome West J Med 1982 137: 32–44.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hanaki K, Ohzeki T, Ishitani N, Mozozumi H, Matsuda-Ohtahara H, Shiraki K . Fat distribution in overweight patients with Ullrich–Turner syndrome Am J Med Genet 1992 42: 428–430.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gravholt CH, Juul S, Naeraa RW, Hansen J . Morbidity in Turner Syndrome J Clin Epidemiol 1998 51: 147–158.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rolland-Cachera MF, Sempe M, Guilloud-Bataille M, Patois E, Pequinot-Guggenbuhl F . Adiposity indices in children Am J Clin Nutr 1982 36: 178–184.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Poskitt EM . Defining childhood obesity: the relative body mass index (BMI). European Childhood Obesity Group Acta Paediatr 1995 84: 961–963.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. August GP, Lippe BM, Blethen SL, Rosenfeld RG, Seelig SA, Johanson AJ, Compton PG, Frane JW, McClellan BH, Sherman BM . Growth hormone treatment in the United States: demographic and diagnostic features of 2331 children J Pediatr 1990 116: 899–903.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Hammer LD, Kraemer HC, Wilson DM, Ritter PL, Dornbusch SM . Standardized percentile curves of body mass index for children and adolescents Am J Dis Child 1991 145: 259–263.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Becker R, Chambers JM, Wilks AR . The New S Language: A programming Environment for Data Analysis and Graphics. Wadworth & Brooks/Cole: Pacific Grove, CA, 1988.

  13. Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA . Body mass index reference curves for the U.K Arch Dis Child 1995 73: 25–39.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Must A, Dallal GE, Dietz WH . Reference data for obesity: 85th and 95th percentiles of body mass index (wt/ht2) and triceps skinfold thickness Am J Clin Nutr 1991 53: 839–846.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Must A, Dallal GE, Dietz WH . Reference data for obesity: 85th and 95th percentiles of body mass index (wt/ht2)—a correction Am J Clin Nutr 1991 54: 773.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ogle GD, Allen JR, Humphries IR, Lu PW, Brody JN, Morley K, Howman-Giles R, Cowell CT . Body composition assessment by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in subjects aged 4–26 y Am J Clin Nutr 1995 61: 746–753.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Himes J, Dietz W . Guidelines for overweight in adolescent preventive services: recommendations from an expert committee Am J Clin Nutr 1994 59: 307–316.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Guo SS, Roche AF, Chumlea WC, Gardner JD, Siervogel RM . The predictive value of childhood body mass index values for overweight at age 35 y Am J Clin Nutr 1994 59: 810–819.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Van den Broeck J, Wit J-M . Anthropometry and body composition in children Horm Res 1997 48 (Suppl 1): 33–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. De Ridder CM, Thijssen JH, Bruning PF, Van den Brande JL, Zonderland ML, Erich WB . Body fat mass, body fat distribution, and pubertal development; a longitudinal study of physical and hormonal sexual maturation of girls J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1992 75: 442–446.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Rico H, Revilla M, Villa LF, Hernandez ER, Alvarez de Buergo M, Villa M . Body composition in children and Tanner's stages: a study with dual X-ray absorptiometry Metabolism 1993 42: 967–970.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Corel LJA, Van den Broeck J, Rongen-Westerlaken C, Massa G, Wit JM . Body weight in children with Turner syndrome treated with growth hormone Int J Obes 1996 20: 957–962.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Rongen-Westerlaken C, Corel L, van den Broeck J, Massa G, Karlberg J . Reference values for height, height velocity and weight in Turner's syndrome Acta Paediatr 1997 86: 937–942.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Sklar CA, Kaplan SL, Grumbach MM . Evidence for dissociation between adrenarche and gonadarche; studies in patients with idiopathic precocious puberty, gonadal dysgenesis, isolated gonadotrophin deficiency, and constitutionally delayed growth and adolescence J Clin Endocrinl Metab 1980 51: 548–556.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Frisch R, McArthur J . Menstrual cycles: fatness as a determinant of minimum weight for height necessary for their maintenance or onset Science 1974 85: 949–951.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Park E . Body shape in Turner syndrome Human Biol 1977 49: 215–223.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, 73190, OK, USA

    PR Blackett

  2. Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, 94080-4990, CA, USA

    AC Rundle, J Frane & SL Blethen

Authors
  1. PR Blackett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. AC Rundle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J Frane
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. SL Blethen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to PR Blackett.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Blackett, P., Rundle, A., Frane, J. et al. Body mass index (BMI) in Turner syndrome before and during growth hormone (GH) therapy. Int J Obes 24, 232–235 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801119

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801119

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links