Auxological evaluation in patients with a 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome: normal prevalence of obesity and neonatal length and gender influence on body mass index evolution.

AIMS: To evaluate auxological parameters in children and adults with a 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS) and to compare prevalence of obesity to that in the French general population.
METHODS: 102 patients with 22q11.2 DS (49 males, 53 females) were recruited from birth to adulthood through a reference center in southern France.
RESULTS: Mean BMI Z score and mean height were normal (0.07 ± 1.49 SD, -0.87 ± 1.36 SDS, respectively). 16.1% of patients were overweight (including obese), 57% out of them being born small for gestational age for length versus 25% of non-overweight patients. During infancy, BMI increased in girls (+0.89 SD Z score). Childhood: 14.7% were overweight, prevalence similar to that of the in French children population. Adulthood: 19.2% were overweight. BMI Z scores were inversely correlated with neonatal length (p = 0.026) and female sex (p = 0.032) but positively associated with neonatal weight (p = 0.036). From analysis of neonatal data, 22q11.2 DS newborns were significantly shorter with regard to their weight (p < 0.01), even though mean neonatal measures were above -2 SDS.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study did not find a higher prevalence of overweight in 22q11.2 DS to that in the French population. The BMI Z score was inversely correlated with neonatal length and female gender but positively associated with neonatal weight.