Final height and growth hormone secretion after bone marrow transplantation in children

Growth hormone (GH) deficiency has been regarded as a principal determinant for growth failure following bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We herein analyzed final height and GH secretion in the patients who received BMT dur ing childhood. The study on final height in 30 patients (23 males; 19 with malignant disease) who underwent BR;IT before or at the onset of puberty sh owed the following findings: (1) Final height SD score (SDS) significantly decreased compared to pretreatment height SDS. (2) Patients who underwent B MT before the age of 10 gears showed significantly greater reduction in hei ght SDS compared to those who received after the age of 10 years. (3) The t ype of disease or a difference in preconditioning regimen did not influence the outcome of growth. (4) No patient showed GH deficiency. The study on G H secretion included 71 patients who had been followed for more than 5 year s and who underwent insulin tolerance test more than twice following BMT. T hirteen patients experienced poor GH response at least once. Two of these p atients had poor GH response repeatedly. In conclusion, children who underg o BMT at younger age have a higher risk of growth failure, and GH deficienc y is not a major contributing factor for growth impairment following BMT.