Humangenetik 14, 66--68 (1971) © by Springer-Verlag 1971

Stature and Weight in Boys with the XYY Syndrome

JOItA~NES ~IELSE:N, URSULA_ FRIEI)RICH, and EVA ZEUTHEN

The Cytogenetic Laboratory,/~rhus State Hospital, Risskov, Denmark

Received September 3, 1971

Summary. Stature and weight have been recorded in 11 males with the X ¥ ¥ syndrome from the age of 7 to 13. The mean stature was found to be around the 97.50/o upper limit of a normal population, but weight distribution was normal.

Zusammen/assung. Bei 11 Jungen mit dem XYY-Syndrom wnrde die GrSBe und das Ge- wicht im Alter yon 7 his 13 Jahren anfgezeichnet. Die durchschnittliche KSrpergrSl~e lag ungef~hr bei 97,5O/o der oberen Werte einer NormalbevSlkerung, abet die Gewichtsverteilung war normal.

Previous studies (Jacobs et al., 1965; Price et al., 1966; Casey et al., 1966; Court Brown, 1968) have shown tha t grown-up males with the X ¥ ¥ syndrome

2o0

19o

l~o

I7o

16o

15o

14o

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13o

12o

11o

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o Controls *Boys vlith the

XYY syndrome

o 97,5 . / o o o

SS, • . - " t o

• ~ ' " o o

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Fig. 1. 11 boys w i th the X ¥ ¥ syndrome and controls. Dist r ibut ion by stature and age. (Controls: Heimendinger, 1964)

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Controls f

Stature 110 12n lq l l ldLrl 1on 1&11 1711 IRn 1¢Jll

Stature and Weight in Boys with the XYY Syndrome 67

I Controls

Patients, mean

L 120 130 140 150

Stature 160 170 180 190 cm

Fig. 2.11 boys with the XYY syndrome and controls. Distribution by stature, weight and age. (Controls : Karlberg and Perman, 1959)

have an increased height . We have s tud ied a t o t a l of 22 males wi th k a r y o t y p e 47 ,XYY, aged 15--50, 8 of whom were unseleeted as far as height is concerned - - t h e y had a he ight range f rom 173 to 188 cm and a mean s ta tu re of 182 4- 4.2 cm, compared wi th 174 4- 6.4 cm in the males wi th k a r y o t y p e 46 ,XY in the popu- la t ion of cr iminals where ha l f of the pa t i en t s wi th the X Y Y syndrome were found and 176 4- 6.4 em in all males examined for m i h t a r y service in D e n m a r k in 1966 ( p < o .ool) .

The length a t b i r th was only ob ta inab le in 5 of the 22 males wi th the X Y Y syndrome, the range was 51 to 60 em wi th a mean of 55 ± 3.4 cm, compared wi th an expec ted mean of 51 4- 2.8 em.

The b i r t h weight was ob ta inab le in 7 of the 22 males, the range was 2800 to 5000 g and the mean 3701 4- 758 g, compared wi th an expec ted mean value of 3500 4- 622 g. There was thus a t endency to an increased b i r th length, b u t no increase in b i r th weight.

We ob ta ined in format ion abou t height and weight f rom the age of 7 to 13 in 11 of the 22 males f rom medica l school examinat ions . (10 of the 77 he ight and weight measurement s were no t avai lable) . The d i s t r ibu t ion of s t a tu re in re la t ion to age is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The weight d i s t r ibu t ion in re la t ion to age and s t a tu re is shown in Fig. 2.

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68 J. Nielsen et al. : Stature and Weight in Boys with the XYY Syndrome

The mean values for s t a tu re were found to be s l ight ly below the 97.5% uppe r level in the no rma l popu la t i on wi th a t e n d e n c y to increase in growth ra te above this level a t the age of 12 and 13. The mean weight was no rma l all t h rough the years f rom 7 to 13.

Our findings ind ica te t h a t males wi th the X Y ¥ syndrome are ta l le r t h a n males wi th the k a r y o t y p e 4 6 , X ¥ f rom the t ime of b i r th , b u t t h e y have a weight t h a t fal l wi th in the no rma l d i s t r ibu t ion .

The ae t io logy of the increase in s t a tu re is the increase in Y chromosome mater ia l , b u t the pa thogenes is is unknown. P l a s m a growth hormone levels in grown-up males wi th the X Y Y syndrome have been found norma l (Nielsen et al.,

1969; L u n d b e r g and Wah l s t rSm, 1970), b u t there migh t be an increased p roduc t ion of g rowth hormone dur ing childhood. S tudies of the pa thogene t i c fac tors of the increased s t a tu re are, however , needed.

References

Casey, M. D., Blank, C. E., Street, D. R. K., Segall, L. J., McDougall, J. H., McGrath, P. J., Skinner, J. L. : ¥ ¥ chromosomes and antisocial behaviour. Lancet 1966 II, 859.

Court Brown, W. M.: Males with an XYY sex chromosome complement. J. med. Genet. g, 341--359 (1968).

Heimendinger, J.: Gemiseht longitudinale Messungen yon K6rperli~nge, Gewicht, oberem Segment, Thoraxumfang nnd Kopfumfang bei 1--24 Monate alten S~uglingen. Helv. Paediat. Acta 19, 406--436 (1964).

Jacobs, P.A. , Brunton, M., Melville, M. M., Brittain, 1%. P., McClemont, W.F . : Aggressive behaviour, mental subnormality and the X Y ¥ male. Nature (Lond.) 208, 1351--1352 (1965).

Karlberg, P., Perman, A. : Some physical measurements (weight, length, head circumference and chest circumference) in healthy Swedish children in the first two years of life. Acta paediat. (Uppsala) 48, 128--138 (1959).

Lundberg, P. 0., WahlstrSm, J. : Hormone levels in men with extra ¥ chromosomes. Lancet 1970 II, 1133--1134.

Nielsen, J., Yde, H., Johansen, K. : Serum growth hormone level after oral glucose load, urinary excretion of pituitary gonadotrophin and 17-ketosteroids in XYY syndrome. Metabolism 18, 993--997 (1969).

Price, W.H. , Strong, J .A. , Whatmore, P.B. , McClemont, W. 1%: Criminal patients with X Y ¥ sex-chromosome complement. Lancet 1966 I, 565.

Dr. Johannes Nielsen The Cy~genetic Laboratory /~rhus State Hospital Risskov, Denmark