Sexual maturation and growth pattern in Egyptian boys

SummaryThe mean ages of attainment of successive stages of puberty were estimated in a cross-sectional sample of 453 Egyptian schoolboys from a semi-urban area of Cairo, ranging in age from 9 to 17 years. The stages of puberty were as defined by Tanner (1962).The mean age of onset of puberty (stage 2) was 11·1 years, assessed either by genitalia or by pubic hair. Stage 5 occurred at age 16·2 years, again both for genitalia and pubic hair. The time interval between these ages, 5·1 years, was 2 years longer than for British or Chinese boys.There was a highly significant effect of social class on the mean ages of attainment, and the heights and weights of the boys were also related to social class, the class 1 boys being taller and heavier than Tanner's British boys.