A comparison of pubertal maturity and growth

AbstractBackground: Growth and pubertal development have each been studied in detail, but rarely in conjunction.Aim: The study aim was to determine what somatic and pubertal development have in common and how they differ and to quantify the association between milestones for growth and for pubertal development (in terms of pubic hair and genitalia/breast, Age of Peak Testes Velocity, APTV and menarche) in relation both to chronological (CA) and bone age (RUS).Subjects and methods: The data analysed are from the 1st Zurich Longitudinal Growth Study, with 120 boys and 112 girls with almost complete data from birth to adulthood.Results: Variability of pubertal milestones was somewhat reduced in terms of RUS, in particular in later phases. Pubic hair phase PH2 appeared ∼1 year after the onset of the pubertal spurt. Around the age of maximal deceleration (T9) an adult-like appearance of pubic hair, genitalia and breasts was reached in most cases. APTV occurred close to T8. Correlations were large between miles...