GROWTH-HORMONE (GH) AND THE IMMUNE-SYSTEM - IMPAIRED PHAGOCYTIC FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH IDIOPATHIC GH DEFICIENCY IS CORRECTED BY TREATMENT WITH BIOSYNTHETIC GH
R. Manfredi et al., GROWTH-HORMONE (GH) AND THE IMMUNE-SYSTEM - IMPAIRED PHAGOCYTIC FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH IDIOPATHIC GH DEFICIENCY IS CORRECTED BY TREATMENT WITH BIOSYNTHETIC GH, Journal of pediatric endocrinology, 7(3), 1994, pp. 245-251
Thirty-seven prepubertal children evaluated for severe growth retardat
ion were studied by assessment of total granulocyte, monocyte and lymp
hocyte count, lymphocyte subsets CD3+, CD3+Dr+, CD3+Dr-, CD4+, CD8+, C
D8+CD57+, CD8+CD57-, CD16+, CD20+ and CD23+, serum immunoglobulin conc
entrations, and phagocytic activity of circulating neutrophils and mon
ocytes (by a flow cytometric assay). Idiopathic GH deficiency was diag
nosed in 21 of 37 patients; the remaining 16 healthy subjects served a
s controls. Fourteen patients received biosynthetic GH (rhGH), and the
ir immune parameters were assessed at baseline and after 6 months of t
herapy. Phagocytic function mediated by both polymorphonuclears and mo
nocytes was significantly impaired in GH-deficient subjects compared t
o controls (p<0.003 for neutrophils, p<0.007 for monocytes), while a s
ignificant increase of phagocytic activity was obtained during longter
m rhGH replacement therapy (p<0.02 for neutrophils, p<0.001 for monocy
tes), thus suggesting that GH may affect the functional activity of ci
rculating phagocyte cells. No significant differences were found in to
tal granulocyte, monocyte and lymphocyte counts, T- and B-lymphocyte s
ubsets and immunoglobulin levels, between GH-deficient patients and co
ntrols, and between values observed before and during rhGH substitutio
n treatment.