Growth in black and white children with Down syndrome.

Growth in 28 black and 30 white children with Down syndrome was compared at birth, 4 months, 1 year, and 7 years. Weight, length, and head circumference measurements were taken from case records of the U.S. Collaborative Perinatal Project. A multivariate regression model was used to examine simultaneously the effects on these measurements of sex, race, presence of congenital heart disease, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and maternal weight at delivery. Results showed that black and white children with Down syndrome have essentially identical growth rates and that long-term growth of these children may be responsive to external influences, such as maternal smoking and maternal weight at delivery.