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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STATURE AS A CLINICAL MEASUREMENT OF AGEING
Author(s) -
DEQUEKER JAN V.,
BAEYENS JEAN P.,
CLAESSENS JAN
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1969.tb03171.x
Subject(s) - medicine , short stature , ageing , bone age , osteoporosis , pediatrics
A bstract : A study was made of 140 women (age range, 30 to 94 years) selected at random in a large psychiatric hospital, to determine changes in stature after maturity and the correlation of such age‐associated changes with various body measurements. It was found that: 1. There is a statistically significant decrease in stature with age. 2. The ratio of body length to armspan is a convenient method for assessing the amount of height loss with age. 3. The rate of decrease in stature is about 1.3 cm per age decade. 4. Loss of stature with age is best correlated with osteoporosis (metacarpal index) but is also correlated, less significantly, with skinfold thickness on the dorsum of the hands. 5. Loss of stature with age is not importantly correlated with osteoarthrosis, as determined by changes in joints of the hand.