High unacylated ghrelin levels support the concept of anorexia in infants with prader-willi syndrome

Table 1 Description of the population

	PWS (n = 37)	Controls (n = 100)	P value^a
At birth
Gestational age (weeks)	37.5 (36.0;39.0)	39.5 (39.0;39.5)	0.008
Caesarean delivery (%)	67 %	28 %	<0.0001
Birth length-z-score	−0.85 (−1.08;–0.60)	−0.29 (−0.56;–0.06)	0.010
Birth weight-z-score	−1.65 (−1.90;–1.31)	−0.26 (−0.50;–0.02)	<0.0001
Breast feeding (%)	11 %^b	66 %	<0.0001
Duration of breast feeding (days)	92 (45;151)	135 (99;167)	NS
At inclusion
Age (years)	1.8 (1.4;2.3)	2.0 (1.7;2.2)	NS
Sex ratio (% male)	57 %	49 %	NS
Height-z-score	−0.84 (−1.23;–0.48)	0.53 (0.25;0.80)	<0.0001
Weight-z-score	−1.06 (−1.49;–0.64)	0.06 (−0.20;0.35)	<0.0001
BMI-z-score	−0.86 (−1.31;–0.32)	−0.40 (−0.70;–0.10)	NS
GH treatment (%)	68 %	NA	NA
Age at start of GH treatment (months)	13.0 (11.0;15.5)	NA	NA
GH dose (mcg/kg/d)	0.029 (0.027;0.031)	NA	NA
IGF-I (ng/ml)	98 (61;135)	NA	NA
Insulin (pg/ml)	167 (141;194)	178 (160;196)	NS
PWS features
Age at genetic diagnosis (months)	1.0 (0.5;2.5)
Type of genetic diagnosis (%)
Deletion	24 %
Maternal disomy	51 %
Translocation	3 %
Imprinting defect	11 %
Abnormal methylation profile	11 %
Nutritional phase at inclusion
1a [%−age (months(range))]	43 %−4 (2;23)
1b [%−age (months(range))]	20 %−29 (11;45)
2a [%−age (months(range))]	23 %−38 (21;46)
2b [%−age (months(range))]	14 %−34 (26;37)

Table 1 gives % or Hodges-Lehmann’s medians and their 95 % confidence interval
Abbreviations: NA Not applicable, NS Not Significant
^aDifferences between PWS vs. controls were tested with Mann–Whitney or Chi-square tests
^bMother’s milk was given without complete breast feeding to PWS infants

ISSN: 1750-1172