Final height attainment in girls and boys with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

We compared final height to height at diagnosis (expressed as a standard deviation score, SDS), predicted adult height (according to the Bayley and Pinneau method) and target genetic height (expressed as mean parental height in cm, +6.5 for males and -6.5 for females) in 37 patients (15 males, 22 females) with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), aged 20.6 ± 3.3 years (16.6-27), with 11.8 ± 3.7 years (5.2-19.2) mean duration of disease. In the 22 females, final height (162.4 ± 5.7 cm; range, 150-174 cm) was higher than predicted (161.5 ± 7.8 cm; range, 146-176.2 cm) and target genetic height (159.7 ±3.8 cm; range, 152.8-167.3 cm), although not significantly. Female patients showed a positive correlation between final height and both predicted (P <0.05) and target genetic height (P <0.005). No difference was observed in final height between patients diagnosed in the prepubertal or pubertal phase (162.2 ± 4.6 cm vs. 163.4 ± 6.2 cm; P-value n.s.). In the 15 males, final height (173.4 ± 4.4 cm; range, 166.5 ± 181 cm), lower than predicted (175.4 ± 4.9 cm; range, 166-183 cm), was higher than target genetic height (169.9 ± 4.8 cm; range, 162.4-177 cm) (P <0.05). Male patients showed a positive correlation between final height and target genetic height (P <0.05). No difference was found in final height between patients diagnosed in the prepubertal or pubertal phase (173.6 ± 3.5 cm vs. 172.7 ± 5.5 cm; P-value n.s.). No correlation was found between final height and age at onset, duration of disease, insulin requirement, or degree of metabolic control. Taking into account all patients, diabetes did not influence final height, which was higher than target genetic height. Only in 5 out of 37 patients with poor metabolic control was the final height lower than target genetic height.