BONE-MINERAL DENSITY OF PREPUBERTAL AGE GIRLS WITH TURNERS-SYNDROME WHILE ON GROWTH-HORMONE THERAPY

Bone mineral densities and growth velocities of young girls with Turne r's syndrome treated with recombinant human growth hormone at an age b efore the decreased levels of estrogens secondary to their ovarian fai lure could contribute to osteopenia were studied. Twelve patients with a mean chronological age of 8.9 +/- 0.9 years and a mean bone age of 6.9 +/- 0.8 years received growth hormone therapy for over 2 years (0. 5 IU/kg/week s.c.). Mean growth velocities increased significantly fro m a baseline level of 3.5 +/- 0.4 cm/year to 6.4 +/- 0.3 and 5.7 +/-: 0.4 cm/year at 12 and 24 months of therapy, while height SDS improved from -3.1 +/- 0.4 at baseline to -2.7 +/- 0.3 and -2.4 +/- 0.3 at 12 a nd 24 months, respectively. Total bone calcium as well as cortical bon e mineral density of our patients while on recombinant human growth ho rmone were similar to that of a control group of prepubertal healthy c hildren paired for bone age and height; bone density of trabecular bon e was however increased in our patients when compared to healthy contr ols (0.791 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.669 +/- 0.02 g/cm(2); p < 0.025). We conclud e from our study that the bone mineral status of young girls with Turn er's syndrome on growth hormone therapy seems to be normal.