Final height after combined growth hormone and GnRH analogue treatment in adopted girls with early puberty

Background: Girls adopted from developing countries often have early or precocious puberty, requiring treatment with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues. During such treatment, decreased growth velocity is frequent. Aim: To study whether the addition of growth hormone (GH) to GnRH analo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inActa Paediatrica Vol. 93; no. 11; p. 1456
Main Authors Tuvemo, Torsten, Jonsson, B, Gustafsson, J, Albertsson-Wikland, Kerstin, Aronson, AS, Häger, Anders, Ivarsson, Sten, Kriström, B, Marcus, Claude, Nilsson, KO, Westgren, U, Westphal, Otto, Åman, Jan, Proos, LA
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 2004
Subjects
controlled clinical trial
girls
GnRH analogue
growth hormone
MEDICIN
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
MEDICINE
precocious
Puberty
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Summary:Background: Girls adopted from developing countries often have early or precocious puberty, requiring treatment with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues. During such treatment, decreased growth velocity is frequent. Aim: To study whether the addition of growth hormone (GH) to GnRH analogue treatment improves final height in girls with early or precocious puberty. Methods: Forty-six girls with early or precocious puberty (age ≤9.5 y) adopted from developing countries were randomized for treatment for 2-4 y with GnRH analogue, or with a combination of GH and GnRH analogue. Results: During treatment, the mean growth velocity in the GH/GnRH analogue group was significantly higher compared to the control group. Combined GH/GnRH analogue treatment resulted in a higher final height: 158.9 cm compared to 155.8 cm in the GnRH analogue-treated group. Three out of 24 girls (13%) in the combined group and nine of the 22 girls (41%) treated with GnRH analogue alone attained a final height below -2 standard deviation scores (SDS). Conclusion: The difference between the two groups is statistically significant, and possibly of clinical importance. A future challenge is to identify a subgroup with clinically significant advantage of GH addition to GnRH analogue treatment. Being very short on arrival in Sweden and being short and young at start of treatment are possible indicators.
ISSN:0803-5253
1651-2227
DOI:10.1080/08035250410021793