Facial shape manifestations of growth faltering in Tanzanian children

Variation in the shape of the human face and in stature is determined by complex interactions between genetic and environmental influences. One such environmental influence is malnourishment, which can result in growth faltering, usually diagnosed by means of comparing an individual's stature with a set of age-appropriate standards. These standards for stature, however, are typically ascertained in groups where people are at low risk for growth faltering. Moreover, genetic differences among populations with respect to stature are well established, further complicating the generalizability of stature-based diagnostic tools. In a large sample of children aged 5–19 years, we obtained high-resolution genomic data, anthropometric measures and 3D facial images from individuals within and around the city of Mwanza, Tanzania. With genome-wide complex trait analysis, we partitioned genetic and environmental variance for growth outcomes and facial shape. We found that children with growth faltering have faces that look like those of older and taller children, in a direction opposite to the expected allometric trajectory, and in ways predicted by the environmental portion of covariance at the community and individual levels. The environmental variance for facial shape varied subtly but significantly among communities, whereas genetic differences were minimal. These results reveal that facial shape preserves information about exposure to undernourishment, with important implications for refining assessments of nutritional status in children and the developmental-genetics of craniofacial variation alike.Fil: Cole, Joanne B.. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Manyama, Mange F.. Weill‐Cornell Medicine; Qatar. Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences; TanzaniaFil: Nikitovic, Dejana. University of Calgary; CanadáFil: Gonzalez, Paula Natalia. Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios En Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Alta Complejidad En Red El Cruce Dr. Nestor Carlos Kirchner Samic. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios En Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - la Plata. Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios En Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos.; ArgentinaFil: Liberton, Denise. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Wilson, Warren M.. University of Calgary; CanadáFil: Rolian, Campbell. University of Calgary; CanadáFil: Larson, Jacinda R.. University of Calgary; CanadáFil: Kimwaga, Emmanuel. Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences; TanzaniaFil: Mathayo, Joshua. Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences; TanzaniaFil: Roseman, Charles C.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Santorico, Stephanie A.. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Lukowiak, Ken. University of Calgary; CanadáFil: Spritz, Richard A.. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Hallgrimsson, Benedikt. University of Calgary; Canad