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The relationship between skeletal maturation and body weight in Irish males
Author(s) -
O'Connor Jean Elizabeth,
Coyle Joseph,
O'Loughlin Anne,
Ryan Stephanie,
Spence Liam,
Last Jason
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.183.6
Subject(s) - bone age , medicine , percentile , concomitant , body weight , population , demography , physiology , mathematics , sociology , statistics , environmental health
Nutritional status is recognised as one of the key variables controlling secular decrease in age of sexual maturation and concomitant increase in stature. Recently, increased adiposity has been linked to accelerated skeletal maturation at the hand‐wrist. This study explores the relationship between skeletal maturation at the knee, a weight‐bearing joint, and weight in Irish males. Skeletal maturation was assessed from knee radiographs of 51 male subjects aged 9–19 years using regression equations developed for an Irish population. Weight (kg) was measured at the time of x‐ray. Weight‐for‐age was calculated for each subject using UK90 charts, to determine if weight was within the normal range for age. Weight‐for‐age of seven subjects was above the 98 th percentile, the upper‐limit of the normal range. Skeletal age of these seven subjects was found to be advanced by 0.5–1.6 years (mean 1.1 years). Precocious skeletal maturation related to increased weight may have important implications for skeletal age estimation and final stature prediction in clinical and forensic scenarios.