Growth hormone treatment in short children with intrauterine growth retardation

The aim of this prospective controlled study was to assess the effect of rh GH in short prepubertal children with intrauterine growth retardation and n ormal growth hormone status. Twenty-six children were randomized into treat ment (12F, 4M) and control (6F, 4M) groups. Mean ages were 5.3 (1.3) yr and 4.3 (1.7) yr, respectively. rhGH (Genotropin(R)) was used at a dose of 0.2 IU/kg/day as daily s.c. injections for two years, In the treated group, me an height SDS increased from -3.0 (0.5) to -1.9 (0.7) and height velocity S DS showed a significant increase from -1.3 (2.0) to 3.7 (1.8) in the first year (p < 0.001) and 1.6 (1.8) (p < 0.01) in the second year of treatment. In the controls, height SDS, initially -2.7 (1.4), and height velocity SDS, initially -0.9 (1,1), remained essentially the same during two years of fo llow-up. Height SDS for bone age changed by 0.6 in the treated group and 0. 4 in the control group. Target height SDS - initial height SDS in the treat ed group improved by 1.1 SD but declined in the control group. IGF-I levels increased from 9.5 (4.2) nmol/l (72 [31.8] ng/ml) to 32.5 (27.0) nmol/l (2 44.4 [202.8] ng/ml) (p = 0.004) in the treated group while no change was ob served in the controls. No adverse effects were encountered during rhGH the rapy. It was concluded that rhGH treatment induces a significant increase i n growth velocity in the short term. This outcome, as opposed to the unchan ged indices in the control group over the same period, may be indicative of an improved height prognosis in short children born with intrauterine grow th retardation treated with rhGH.