Original paper
Reference tables with centiles of limb to body height ratios of healthy human adults for assessing potential thalidomide embryopathy
Reimann, Anna; Beyer, Rudolf; Mumm, Rebekka; Scheffler, Christiane
Anthropologischer Anzeiger Volume 76 No. 5 (2019), p. 391 - 400
published: Nov 8, 2019
published online: Mar 14, 2019
manuscript accepted: Jan 31, 2019
manuscript revision received: Jan 28, 2019
manuscript revision requested: Dec 19, 2018
manuscript received: Dec 12, 2018
DOI: 10.1127/anthranz/2019/0981
Open Access (paper may be downloaded free of charge)
Abstract
Background: Over 60 years ago the biggest drug catastrophe in Germany took place. The drug thalidomide, sold by the German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grünenthal GmbH starting in 1957 under the name “Contergan”, caused severe birth defects in newborns. Chemie Grünenthal 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.
Keywords
thalidomide embryopathy • contergan • anthropometry • body proportions