GROWTH-HORMONE THERAPY OF TURNERS-SYNDROME - BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON ADULT HEIGHT

Objective: To carry out a multicenter, prospective, randomized trial o f human growth hormone (GH), alone or in combination with oxandrolone (OX), in patients with Turner's syndrome (TS). Methods: In an initial phase lasting 12 to 24 months, 70 girls with TS, verified by karyotype , were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (1) observation, (2) O X (3) GH, or (4) GH plus OX. After completion of the first phase, grou p 3 subjects continued to receive GH only. All other subjects were tre ated with GH plus OX. Subjects were followed up until attainment of ad ult height and/or cessation of treatment. Data from this trial were co mpared with growth characteristics of 25 American historical subjects with TS (matched for age, height, parental target height, and karyotyp e) who never received either GH or androgens. Results: Of the 70 subje cts enrolled, 60 completed the clinical trial. The 17 subjects receivi ng GH alone all completed the trial and reached a height of 150.4 +/- 5.5 cm (mean +/- SD), 8.4 +/- 4.5 cm taller than their mean projected adult height at enrollment (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.3 to 10.6 cm). The 43 subjects receiving GH plus OX attained a mean height of 15 2.1 +/- 5.9 cm, 10.3 +/- 4.7 cm taller than their mean projected adult height (95% CI: 8.9 to 11.7 cm). The historical control subjects had a mean adult height of 144.2 +/- 6.0 cm, precisely matching their orig inal projected adult height of 144.2 +/- 6.1 cm. Conclusions: GH, eith er alone or in combination with OX, is capable of stimulating short-te rm growth and augmenting adult height in girls with TS. With early dia gnosis and initiation of treatment, an adult height of more than 150 c m is a reasonable goal for most girls with TS.