Anthropometric charts and congenital anomalies in newborns with Down syndrome

The objectives of this study were to obtain updated neonatal measurements in French newborns with Down Syndrome (DS) according to their gestational age, and to assess the frequency and distribution of congenital anomalies. Data on congenital malformations, birth weight, birth length and birth occipito-frontal circumference (OFC) according to the gestational age was gathered from 1,030 babies, born between 1980 and 2010. The mean gestational age was 38 weeks from the date of the last menstrual period (LMP) (range: 29-42 weeks). Repartition of complications was found to be similar to previous studies, with no difference according to the date of birth. For girls born after 37 weeks, the mean birth weight was 3,012 +/- 430 g, the mean birth length was 47.7 +/- 2 cm, and the mean birth OFC was 33 +/- 1.4 cm. For boys born after 37 weeks, the mean birth weight was 3,103 +/- 459, the mean birth length was 48.4 +/- 2.2 cm, and the mean birth OFC was 33.2 +/- 1.4 cm. We did not find any difference in these measurements when we compared children born before 1997 and after 2007. When compared to the general population (French data and WHO charts), newborns with DS have a more pronounced difference in their birth length and their birth OFC (15-25th) than in their birth weight (25-50th). The shape of the growth curves shows that growth velocity decreases during the last weeks of gestation in all measurements, which suggests that the modal age for delivery could be earlier in DS newborns than in the general population.