THE CHANGES IN SERUM TYPE-I AND TYPE-III PROCOLLAGEN, INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH-FACTOR-I AND INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH-FACTOR BINDING PROTEIN-3 LEVELS IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC-RENAL-FAILURE

Serum levels of carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP ) and aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) can be used as markers of bone formation and the evaluation of children with growth disorders, We measured the serum levels of these collagens by radioimmunoassay (RIA), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) (by immun oradiometric assay) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 ( IGFBP-3) (by RTA) levels in 24 children aged between 4 and 14 years wi th chronic renal failure (CRF) (n = 12 dialysis, n = 12 non-dialysis) and 12 age-matched healthy controls, to find out whether these paramet ers have a prognostic or therapeutic value on monitoring of growth ret ardation in CRF, Mean serum IGFBP-3 and PIIINP levels in the dialysis patients were higher than the control group, the difference between th e groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). It seemed that the pubertal stage of the patients did not affect the levels of PICP, PIII NP, and IGFBP-3 while serum IGF-I levels in pubertal patients were sig nificantly higher than those in prepubertal patients (P < 0.001). Ther e was no significant correlation between PICP and PIIINP in any patien ts, Neither PICP nor PIIINP correlated with height z-score, bone age, IGF-I, or IGFBP-3. It was concluded that the increased serum IGFBP-3 a nd PIIINP levels in chronic renal disease are poor prognostic indicato rs leading to progressive renal failure and end-stage renal disease (E SRD). Further investigations into the effects of these collagens on gr owth failure associated with CRF are needed.