OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible reasons for diagnostic delay in Turner syndrome (TS), i.e., a diagnosis made after the age when pubertal delay may be established. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with data obtained from the records of 29 TS patients aged more than two years who were diagnosed between 2004 and 2007. Data on personal and family history and physical examination from patients diagnosed before 13 years old (age limit from which pubertal delay may be characterized in girls) were compared to those of girls diagnosed after 13 years by Fisher exact test and Student's t-test. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted regarding mothers' and patients' stature, personal history of TS-associated diseases (considered individually), parental schooling, familial recurrence of short stature, presence of each dysmorphic feature considered separately, and total number of dysmorphic features. The two groups differed regarding the presence of at least one TS-associated disease (which was associated to early diagnosis) and number of siblings (which was higher among patients with delayed diagnosis and associated with lower maternal schooling). CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis was more associated with the presence of a TS-associated disease (which may have required referral to secondary or tertiary health care services) than with the presence of dysmorphic signs. The results indicate that less evident growth deficit, physicians' inability to recognize abnormalities associated with TS and socioeconomic aspects may contribute to diagnostic delay. Pediatric training should emphasize recognition of the clinical spectrum of TS and public genetic services should be expanded.
Turner syndrome; chromosome aberrations; early diagnosis; congenital abnormalities
