Evaluation of bone age in patients with kwashiorkor

The present work is the result of a multicentric study performed at Hoima and Kitgum Hospitals in Uganda on a group of 20 children with Kwashiorkor. Bone age was evaluated on the X-ray film of the children's left hand and wrist, according to Tanner and to De Roo, by 2 different evaluators. The final results were compared. Eighty-five % of the patients presented delayed bone maturation: such a result confirms the importance of malnutrition on skeletal development. The data reported by other authors are also discussed.