Mankind
Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 4 (Summer 2008)
pp. 484-493
Longitudinal Growth Attainments of Transfusion Dependent Beta-Thalassemia Children
A.K. Bhalla, R.K. Marwaha & Harvinder Kaur*
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,
Chandigarh
The pattern of body weight and height / supine length
growth was studied in 259 boys and 84 girls with transfusiondependentβ-thalassemia, using a mixed-longitudinal growth
study design. Every child was measured between 1 and 19 years of
age at half-yearly intervals using standardized techniques and
instruments. Mean body weight and height in thalassemia boys
measured 8.1±1.3 kg and 71.7±3.4 cm at one year and 42.5±7.9 kg
and 156.0±10.9 cm at nineteen years of age. The corresponding
figures in girls were 7.9±0.0 kg and 68.5±0.0 cm at one year and
46.6±5.4 kg and 151.0±3.4 cm at 19.0 years. Average pretransfusion
hemoglobin level in thalassemia boys and girls ranged
from 7.7 g/dl to 12.8 g/dl and 8.2 g/dl to 11.5 g/dl respectively.
Growth attainments of thalassemia children remained
comparable to their normal American and Indian counterparts
up to 8.0 years, whereafter these patients experienced a phase of
severe growth deficit that continued until 19.0 years.
Growth velocity curves plotted for weight and height of
thalassemia patients exhibited a highly vascillatory trend. Average
peak height velocity (PHV) was 3.2 cm/yr in boys and 3.4 cm/yr
in girls. Attainment of PHV in thalassemia boys (17.5 yr) and girls
(14.5 yr) was delayed by 5.0 and 3.0 years respectively as
compared to well-off Chandigarh boys (12.5 yr) and girls (11.5
yr). Peak weight velocity in thalassemia boys (14.5 yr) and girls
(15.5 yr) was also delayed by 1.0 and 4.0 years respectively.
Patients of both sexes grew normally up to 8.0 years of life
whereafter they experienced growth retardation, the magnitude
of which increased with advancing age until adulthood.
