GROWTH-HORMONE IN THE TREATMENT OF SHORT STATURE IN TURNERS-SYNDROME

Fifteen patients with Turner's syndrome with ages between 6.8 to 13.2 years were treated with biosynthetic growth hormone due to their low h eight. Twelve of them had a 45XO cariotype and three were mosaics; non e had a Y line. They started with 0.7 IU/kg/week which were increased to 1.0 IU/kg/week if no height gain was observed during three months. The 15 patients have completed one year of treatment, 8 of them for tw o years. The height velocity increased significantly (p < 0.001) from 0.24 +/- 0.10 cm/month before treatment (mean +/- SD) to 0.48 +/- 0.09 in the first 12 months of treatment (height increased from 119.1 +/- 8.79 to 124.9 +/- 8.70). In the eight cases who have reached 24 months of treatment, the height velocity increased from 0.27 +/- 0.07 cm/mon th to 0.47 +/- 0.09 and 0.54 +/- 0.10 at 12 and 24 months respectively (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01 versus the pretreatment gain); height increas ed from 116.8 +/- 7.0 cm to 122.0 +/- 7.45 and 129.0 +/- 7.18. We foun d no adverse effects in the patients. It is concluded that the biosynt hetic growth hormone treatment in Turner's syndrome can improve low he ight.