Progressive deceleration in growth as an early sign of delayed puberty in boys

Objective: To describe the prepubertal growth pattern in boys with delayed puberty.

Methods: Growth curves for height and height velocity covering the age range 4-14 years were constructed on the basis of retrospectively obtained data in 85 boys with delayed puberty, who attained a normal final height.

Results: Between the age of 4 and 14 years the height in this cohort progressively deviated from the normal reference. At the age of 4 years, the height SDS was already significantly lower (median -0.8; p < 0.001) and progressively diminished during childhood, resulting in a median height SDS of -1.1 at the age of 12 years (p < 0.001). The median final height of this cohort (-0.4) was not different from their target height (-0.2). The degree of deceleration in growth during childhood was not determined by birth weight or birth height and did not influence final height. The decline of the height velocity with age in this group of boys with delayed puberty was significantly smaller (p < 0.001) than predicted by the model of Rikken and Wit.

Conclusion: Late-maturing boys often show a prepubertal deceleration in growth that starts at an early age but that does not affect final height.