A comparison of different definitions of growth response in short prepubertal children treated with growth hormone

P Bang, R Bjerknes, J Dahlgren, L Dunkel, J Gustafsson, A Juul, B Kriström, P Tapanainen, V Aberg

    54 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Background: How to define poor growth response in the management of short growth hormone (GH)-treated children is controversial. Aim: Assess various criteria of poor response. Subjects and Methods: Short GH-treated prepubertal children [n = 456; height (Ht) SD score (SDS) ≤-2] with idiopathic GH deficiency (IGHD, n = 173), idiopathic short stature (ISS, n = 37), small for gestational age (SGA, n = 54), organic GHD (OGHD, n = 40), Turner syndrome (TS, n = 43), skeletal dysplasia (n = 15), other diseases (n = 46) or syndromes (n = 48) were evaluated in this retrospective multicenter study. Median age at GH start was 6.3 years and Ht SDS -3.2. Results: Median [25-75 percentile] first-year gain in Ht SDS was 0.65 (0.40-0.90) and height velocity (HtV) 8.67 (7.51-9.90) cm/year. Almost 50% of IGHD children fulfilled at least one criterion for poor responders. In 28% of IGHD children, Ht SDS gain was <0.5 and they had lower increases in median IGF-I SDS than those with Ht SDS >0.5. Only IGHD patients with peak stimulated growth hormone level <3 μg/l responded better than those with ISS. A higher proportion of children with TS, skeletal dysplasia or born SGA had Ht SDS gain <0.5. Conclusion: Many children respond poorly to GH therapy. Recommendations defining a criterion may help in managing short stature patients.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalHormone Research in Paediatrics
    Volume75
    Issue number5
    Pages (from-to)335-45
    Number of pages11
    ISSN1663-2818
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - May 2011

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'A comparison of different definitions of growth response in short prepubertal children treated with growth hormone'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this