Patterns of Cortical Bone Growth in Moderately Malnourished Preschool Children

Document Type

Article

Authors

J H. Himes, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
R Martorell, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama, Guatemala City, Guatemala, C.A.
J P. Habicht, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama, Guatemala City, Guatemala, C.A.
C Yarbrough, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama, Guatemala City, Guatemala, C.A.
R E. Klein, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama, Guatemala City, Guatemala, C.A.

Abstract

The growth patterns of five measures of second metacarpal cortical bone are described for a mixed-longitudinal sample of 710 rural Guatemalan preschool children with mild to moderate protein-calorie malnutrition, and are compared to well-nourished children. The Guatemalan children are severely retarded in metacarpal growth compared to the well-nourished children of the same age and sex. Further, when compared to well-nourished children of the same stature and weight, the Guatemalan children have less metacarpal cortex for a given body size. Retardation in metacarpal cortical bone in the moderately malnourished children is not only a reflection of an overall smaller body size, but suggests a differential skeletal response to nutritional stress.

Recommended Citation

Himes, J H.; Martorell, R; Habicht, J P.; Yarbrough, C; and Klein, R E. (1975) "Patterns of Cortical Bone Growth in Moderately Malnourished Preschool Children," Human Biology: Vol. 47: Iss. 3, Article 11.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol47/iss3/11