Body mass index (BMI) in Turner syndrome before and during growth hormone (GH) therapy

OBJECTIVE: To study whether body mass index (BMI) is different in girls wit h Turner syndrome (TS) compared to normal girls, and whether BMI in TS is a ffected by growth hormone (GH) treatment. DESIGN: A retrospective cross-sectional study, SUBJECTS: 2468 girls with TS enrolled in the National Cooperative Group Stu dy (NCGS), a collaborative surveillance study for assessing GH-treated chil dren. MEASUREMENTS: BMI and BMI standard deviation score (BMI SDS) at baseline an d during GH treatment were computed from height and weight data, RESULTS: BMI in TS patients increases with age as expected, However, BMI SD S increased starting at about age 9 y, A similar pattern of increase in BMI SDS was observed after each year of GH treatment for up to 4 y, but GH tre atment did not change the magnitude of increase, BMI and BMI SDS curves bef ore and during GH treatment were essentially superimposable. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that mechanisms specific for TS are resp onsible for the age-related increase in BMI SDS. This increase was unaffect ed by GH treatment.