Growth hormone treatment in children born small for gestational age: One center experience

Abstract

Objective − The aim of this paper is to present our experience in growth hormone treatment in SGA children.

Patients and methods − The study enrolled 35 patients (11.88}2.76 years old) who were followed up during the first two years of treatment with growth hormone (35 mcg/kg/day).

Results − During the follow up period our patients showed significant growth catch up. They gained more than 1.5SD in height with a statistical significance of P<0.001. Also, there was a statistically significant improvement in their body mass index (BMI) (P=0.002), but not BMI SD. There was a significant effect of growth hormone treatment on their insulin resistance level. HbA1c also increased significantly, but stayed within the normal range. There were no changes in LDL, HDL and total cholesterol, or triglycerides. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not change during the treatment period. The thyroid function test showed no significant changes.

Conclusion − Although the follow up period was too short and the number of children too small to demonstrate all the short and long term consequences of growth hormone (GH) treatment, the significant beneficial effect of GH treatment on the height of short SGA children was shown without any serious adverse effects. A significant effort should be made to improve early diagnosis of short stature in SGA children.