Body mass index reference charts for individuals with Down syndrome aged 2–18 years [Gráfico de referência do Índice de Massa Corporal para os indivíduos com síndrome de Down entre 2 e 18 anos de idade]

Objective to develop brazilian growth charts for body mass index (bmi-for-age) for individuals with down syndrome (ds). the secondary objective was to compare the bmi-for-age with the centers for disease control and prevention standards (cdc). methods a retrospective and cross-sectional growth study of 706 youth with ds (56.7% males) was performed in 51 centers in são paulo state,brazil. weight and height were used to calculate the bmi (kg/m2). the lms method was applied to construct the growth charts. z-scores were based on the cdc 2000 growth standards. results the bmi-for-age reference charts showed excellent goodness of fit statistics for boys and girls with ds aged 2–18 years. at 2 years of age,the mean bmi z-scores of boys and girls with ds were lower compared to those of the cdc (z-score = −0.2). in contrast,children with ds aged 3–18 years had higher mean z-scores for bmi-for-age when compared to those of the cdc (z-scores = +0.2 to +1.3). conclusions the bmi of brazilian youth with ds differs from those references established by cdc. these are the first brazilian bmi-for-age charts for individuals with ds and will hopefully guide clinicians and parents in the evaluation and management of the nutritional status in children and adolescents with ds in brazil. © 2016 sociedade brasileira de pediatria