Unfavorable effects of growth hormone therapy on the final height of boys with short stature not caused by growth hormone deficiency

• Published in: The Journal of pediatrics Vol. 130; no. 2; pp. 205 - 209
• Main Authors: Kawai, Masahiko, Momoi, Toru, Yorifuji, Tohru, Yamanaka, Chutaro, Sasaki, Hiroshi, Furusho, Kenshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.02.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Age Determination by Skeleton; Biological and medical sciences; Body Height - drug effects; Child; Child, Preschool; Drug Evaluation; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Growth Disorders - drug therapy; Growth Hormone - administration & dosage; Growth Hormone - adverse effects; Human Growth Hormone - deficiency; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...); Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Puberty - drug effects; Retrospective Studies; Time Factors; GH; SDS; CA; BA; Human; Body weight; STH; Age criterion; Secondary effect; Child; Growth retardation; Dose activity relation
• ISSN: 0022-3476; 1097-6833
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-3476(97)70344-5

A group of 18 boys with non-growth hormone (GH)-deficient short stature without GH therapy (group A) and another group of 9 boys with non-GH-deficient short stature with GH therapy in doses of 0.5 IU (0.17 mg)/kg per week administered 5 to 6 times weekly (group B) were observed until they reached their final height. The mean duration of GH therapy was 4.2 years (range 3.2 to 5.0 years). These two groups were matched with respect to their standard deviation score (SDS) for bone age at the start of observation. Mean ± SD of the final height for group A and group B was 162.0 ± 5.4 cm and 154.2 ± 4.2 cm, respectively. During the prepubertal period, height SDS for bone age of these two groups was not affected by GH therapy. During the pubertal period, however, height SDS for bone age remained constant for group A but decreased gradually for group B. Our observation indicates that for boys with non-GH-deficient short stature GH therapy does not improve height SDS for bone age during the prepubertal period, and in fact reduces it during the pubertal period, possibly resulting in a shorter final height than might have been attained naturally.(J pediatr 1997;130:205-9)