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Physical Growth of Japanese Twins*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

S. Ooki  and
A. Asaka
S. Ooki*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Science, Yamanashi Medical University, Japan
A. Asaka
Affiliation:
Department of Health Science, Yamanashi Medical University, Japan
*
Department of Health Sciences —Yamanashi Medical University, Tomaho Yamanashi, Japan40938.

Abstract

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The present study aimed at clarifying the characteristics of twins' physical growth. First, 557 pairs of normal Japanese twins were analyzed according to the following three life stages: (1) intrauterine growth, (2) body weight and height from birth to 6 years, and (3) body weight and height at school age (from 6 to 11 years). The following results were obtained. 1. Intrauterine growth of twins was very different from that of singletons, especially as regards weight, so twins should be estimated by twin standards. 2. Size deficit at birth was appropriately recovered over the first 6 years. 3. No size deficit was observed by school age. Second, the similarity of bodyweight and height according to zygosity was analyzed using 605 pairs of normal Japanese twins, 427 monozygotic (MZ), 113 same-sexed dizygotic (DZ) and 65 opposite-sexed DZ pairs. The similarity between MZ and DZ pairs was almost the same at birth. However, MZ pairs became increasingly more similar with age, whereas DZ pairs became more dissimilar. This tendency was very clearly seen through early infancy, thus suggesting that genetic factors became more apparent during this life stage.

Keywords

Intrauterine growthBody weight and heightIntraclass correlation coefficientJapanese twins
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 42 , Issue 3-4 , October 1993 , pp. 275 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1993

Footnotes

*

This paper was originally presented as four separate papers on “Growth and Development of Japanese Twins” at the 7th International Congress on Twin Studies in Tokyo, held between 22-25 June 1992.

References

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