Endocrine Abstracts

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate sitting height (SH) and leg length (LL) in girls with Turner syndrome.

Methods: Retrospective study of SH and LL SDS, using SH–LL SDS (~0 in a proportionate child) as a measure of disproportion in 76 girls with Turner syndrome. Eligible girls were aged at least 4 years, had not started recombinant GH, and had no other chronic disease. 40 girls with measurements prior to pubertal induction and at adult height (AH) were assessed. Results as mean±S.E.M.

Results: Of the 76 girls (9.3±0.38 years), Ht SDS was −2.83±0.10 with disproportionately shorter legs (LL SDS −3.65±0.13) compared to their spine (SH SDS −1.64±0.10) (P<0.0001). Thirty-five girls (46.1%) had SH–LL SDS >+2.0. Age was negatively associated with SH SDS (r=−0.41, P<0.0001) and SH–LL SDS (r=−0.20, P=0.08) but was not associated with Ht SDS or LL SDS. Ht SDS, SH SDS, LL SDS, and SH SDS–LL SDS did not differ between girls with 45X (n=27) and those with other karyotype (n=49).

Conclusion: Our data suggests that an assessment of skeletal disproportion is important in the evaluation of a short girl. The diagnosis of TS may be more likely in a short girl with significantly lower leg length compared to sitting height, although this needs to be validated in larger group of girls with short stature. At adult height, with current oestrogen replacement regime, disproportion was still present but less pronounced. There is a need to evaluate treatment factors and their impact on disproportion in girls with TS, especially oestrogen replacement.