FINAL HEIGHT IN TURNER SYNDROME PATIENTS TREATED WITH GROWTH-HORMONE

The first treatment trials on patients presenting with Turner syndrome were successful in accelerating growth velocity, It is therefore esse ntial to know the final height of the patients who were treated in ord er to ascertain whether or not growth hormone treatment increases fina l height, We are reporting on a group of 117 patients with Turner synd rome whose growth hormone treatment was initiated in 1986, The mean gr owth hormone dose was 0.74IU/kg/week for an average period of 4 years. At the start of treatment, the patients' chronological age was 12 9/1 2 years, height -3.8 +/- 1.0 standard deviation scores (SDS) and bone age 10.5 +/- 2.1 years, Mean final height was 147.7 +/- 5.6 cm, i,e, a gain of 1.5 SDS, We noted no significant difference due to the type o f chromosomal abnormality, nor to oxandrolone or estrogen-associated t reatment, A significant correlation was found between final height, me an parental height, the duration of the treatment, height SIDS at the start. of treatment and growth hormone peak during pharmacological sti mulation tests, However, there was no correlation between growth hormo ne dosage, chronological age and bone age at the start of treatment, T hese results show that the growth hormone treatment improves the final heights of patients with Turner syndrome.