CARDIAC EFFECTS OF GROWTH-HORMONE IN SHORT NORMAL-CHILDREN - RESULTS AFTER 4 YEARS OF TREATMENT

Growth hormone excess is known to have adverse effects on the heart. T he long term cardiac effects of growth hormone given to short normal c hildren as part of a prospective randomised controlled trial of growth hormone treatment (Genotropin 30 IU/m(2)/week v no treatment) were th erefore investigated. Echocardiographic findings are presented for 28 children who have been followed up for a minimum of four years. At the outset, the treated (n=15) and untreated groups (n=13) did not differ for any anthropometric or echocardiographic parameter. Their mean (SD ) age at onset was 7.8 (0.5) years. After four years of treatment mean height SD score increased from -2.4 to -1.2 compared with no change ( -2.5) in the untreated group. Left ventricular posterior wall and sept al thickness and left ventricular shortening fraction did not differ b etween the groups, but a tendency towards increased left ventricular m ass was seen in the treatment group (93 v 73 g). No such differential was observed after indexing left ventricular mass for body surface are a (79 v 71 g/m(2)) or lean body mass (3.15 v 3.05 g/kg). It is conclud ed that prolonged growth hormone treatment does not cause important ch anges to the heart. A tendency towards increased left ventricular mass simply reflects the increase in lean body mass during treatment.