GROWTH-HORMONE AS A NEW TREATMENT MODALITY FOR SHORT CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC-RENAL-FAILURE

Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has become a new treatment mod ality for short children with chronic renal failure (CRF) and after re nal transplantation. The rationale for high-dose rhGH treatment is the insensitivity of the uremic organism to GH. As the insensitivity to G H is expressed more in end-stage renal failure than in earlier stages of CRF, patients on dialysis respond less to rhGH. In transplanted chi ldren, rhGH can counterbalance the growth-depressing effects of cortic osteroids, In prepubertal children, rhGH improves the height standard deviation score by a mean of +2 within 5 years. The effect of rhGH tre atment on final height remains to be studied.