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Longitudinal anthropometric study in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Author(s) -
Tamminga RYJ,
Kamps WA,
Drayer NM,
Humphrey GB
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1992.tb12080.x
Subject(s) - medicine , anthropometry , pediatrics
In four groups of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, anthropometric variables were investigated every 3 months for 2 years. Group 1 ( n = 7) was treated with a high‐risk protocol, group 2 ( n = 13) with a standard‐risk protocol including cranial irradiation, group 3 ( n = 13) with a standard‐risk protocol without cranial irradiation and group 4 ( n = 8) was followed after completion of treatment. A height retardation of 0.4–0.6 SD was observed during therapy in groups 1–3. A catch‐up of 0.5 SD was found in group 4. The retardation of armspan was significantly larger than the retardation of sitting height when groups 1–3 were taken together. Head circumference was not affected. The anthropometric variables reflecting nutritional status showed a growth above normal during and after treatment. Corticosteroid medication and not cranial irradiation is the most likely explanation for our findings.