Patterns of cortical bone growth in moderately malnourished preschool children

The growth patterns of five measures of second metacarpal cortical bone are described for a mixed longitudinal sample of 710 rural Guatemalan preschool children with mild to moderate protein calorie malnutrition, and are compared to well nourished children. The Guatemalan children are severely retarded in metacarpal growth compared to the well nourished children of the same age and sex. Further, when compared to well nourished children of the same stature and weight, the Guatemalan children have less metacarpal cortex for a given body size. Retardation in metacarpal cortical bone in the moderately malnourished children is not only a reflection of an overall smaller body size, but suggests a differential skeletal response to nutritional stress.