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The efficacy of grwoth hormone in different types of growth failure

An analysis of 101 cases

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Abstract

One hundred and one children with GH deficiency, prenatal growth disorders, growth-retarding diseases, or normal variant short stature received GH for at least one year. Responders were observed in all groups. In the whole series of 72 prepubertal children the increments in height velocity showed negative correlations with the highest serum GH levels obtained in provocation tests.

In the prepubertal children with normal growth potential the velocity SDSs during the first year of therapy showed positive correlations with initial ages and BAs, and negative correlations with height SDSs. In the 5 children with cartilage-hair hypoplasia the mean velocity increased from -1.9 to -0.6 SD. In the 8 children with Mulibrey nanism the mean velocity increased from -2.0 to 0.8 SD. The 4 children with various chromosome anomalies also showed an acceleration.

The therapy brought about a significant increase in predicted final height only in the groups with normal growth potential. Final heights were known for 16 patients. Their heights were fairly accurately predicted by the RWT method, but the IPH method gave overpredictions. Both predictions showed strong correlations with the final heights.

Additional low-dose androgen therapy in 10 boys, started at ages 9.5 to 18.9 years and after 1.4 to 4.7 years of GH therapy, accelerated growth without substantially affecting predicted height. The acceleration was mostly of the growth of sitting height.

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Abbreviations

BA:

bone age

CHH:

cartilage-hair hypoplasia

GHD:

GH deficiency, GH deficient

iGHD:

isolated GHD

IPH:

index of potential height (height SDS for adjusted BA) adult height prediction method [23]

Maximal GH:

highest plasma GH level during an insulin or insulin-arginine test

MPHD:

multiple pituitary hormone deficiency

RWT:

the adult height prediction method of Roche, Wainer and Thissen [39]

SDS:

height standard deviation score

SDS:

SDS corrected for parental height

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Author notes

  1. H. L. Lenko

    Present address: Institute for Clinical Science, University of Tampere, Teiskontie 35, SF-33520, Tampere 52, Finland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children's Hospital, SF-00290, Helsinki 29, Finland

    H. L. Lenko, S. Leisti & J. Perheentupa

  2. Central Public Health Laboratory, Helsinki

    H. L. Lenko, S. Leisti & J. Perheentupa

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  2. S. Leisti
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  3. J. Perheentupa
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Lenko, H.L., Leisti, S. & Perheentupa, J. The efficacy of grwoth hormone in different types of growth failure. Eur J Pediatr 138, 241–249 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00441210

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00441210

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