Reference tables with centiles of limb to body height ratios of healthy human adults for assessing potential thalidomide embryopathy
- Background: Over 60 years ago the biggest drug catastrophe in Germany took place. The drug thalidomide, sold by the German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grunenthal GmbH starting in 1957 under the name "Contergan", caused severe birth defects in newborns. Chemie Grunenthal withdraw Contergan in 1961. Until nearly 30 years later in 1988 there were already over 10.000 children born with severe birth defects (e.g. dysmelia, amelia, congenital heart defect). Due to the high variability of the birth defects caused by thalidomide, later called thalidomide embryopathy, there is still no detailed information about the proportions of limbs. Aim: The aim is to develop reference centiles for limb measurements of men and women aged 19-70 years old. Method: For the calculation, data of healthy men and women (m = 2984, f = 2838) from former East Germany were used and centiles using the LMS-method were developed. Results: Centile tables for arm and leg length of men and women are presented in the results. The variability is small due to a homogeneousBackground: Over 60 years ago the biggest drug catastrophe in Germany took place. The drug thalidomide, sold by the German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grunenthal GmbH starting in 1957 under the name "Contergan", caused severe birth defects in newborns. Chemie Grunenthal withdraw Contergan in 1961. Until nearly 30 years later in 1988 there were already over 10.000 children born with severe birth defects (e.g. dysmelia, amelia, congenital heart defect). Due to the high variability of the birth defects caused by thalidomide, later called thalidomide embryopathy, there is still no detailed information about the proportions of limbs. Aim: The aim is to develop reference centiles for limb measurements of men and women aged 19-70 years old. Method: For the calculation, data of healthy men and women (m = 2984, f = 2838) from former East Germany were used and centiles using the LMS-method were developed. Results: Centile tables for arm and leg length of men and women are presented in the results. The variability is small due to a homogeneous distribution of the measurements. A test with randomly chosen patient data shows that women under 171 cm stature and men under 180 cm stature can be assessed correctly. A severe shortening of limbs can be detected with this method.…
| Author details: | Anna ReimannORCiD, Rudolf Beyer, Rebekka MummORCiDGND, Christiane SchefflerORCiDGND |
|---|---|
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2019/0981 |
| ISSN: | 0003-5548 |
| Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30869735 |
| Title of parent work (English): | Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie |
| Publisher: | Schweizerbart |
| Place of publishing: | Stuttgart |
| Publication type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Date of first publication: | 2019/03/14 |
| Publication year: | 2019 |
| Release date: | 2021/04/29 |
| Tag: | anthropometry; body proportions; contergan; thalidomide embryopathy |
| Volume: | 76 |
| Issue: | 5 |
| Number of pages: | 10 |
| First page: | 391 |
| Last Page: | 400 |
| Funding institution: | Auxological society (Gesellschaft fur Auxologie); Society of Anthropology (Gesellschaft fur Anthropologie); Schon Klinik Stiftung fur Gesundheit gemeinnutzige GmbH |
| Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Biochemie und Biologie |
| DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie |
| Peer review: | Referiert |
