What is Tall stature ?

Tall stature is defined as the height of the person more than  97th percentile of normal population of same age and sex.

Common causes for tall stature are the following

• Constitutional
• Racial 
• Marfan's syndrome
• Gigantism and acromegaly
• Disorder of amino acid metabolism
• Supermales (XYY) and superfemales (XXX).

How to differentiate tall stature by body ratio ?

Upper segment to lower segment ratio of our body is approximately

1.7:1 at birth 

By the age of 10 years the ratio becomes I : I 

it is approximately 0 .8: 1 in adulis

This is beause the legs grow more rapidly than the trunk 

Tall stature is classified as proportionate and disproportionate according to the uppersegment and lower segment ratio

1.Upper segment = Lower segment is seen in proportionate tall stature:

• Constitutional, and
• Pituitary causes.

2.Lower segment > Upper segment is seen in disproportionate tall stature

• Marfan's syndrome.
• Klinefelter’s syndrome,
• Hypogonadism
• Homocyslinuria.

3.Upper segment > Lower segment is found in 

• Precocious puberty.
• Adrenal cortical tumour.

What are the clinical associations in tall stature?

Accident proneness, isolated signs of virilism' s, signs of early puberty and rarely symptoms of hvperthyroidism

You should always examine the testis, palate (high-arched), spine and CVS (for Aortic regurgitation) in tall stature