Kerbala Journal of Medicine

Abstract

objective: to study the response of Growth hormone therapy in children with short stature
due to isolated growth hormone deficiency.
Sample: six hundred forty eight patient with short stature were enrolled in this study.
Method: six hundred forty eight patient with short stature attending Central Teaching Hospital
for children Baghdad/ Iraq, were recorded and all patients were investigated to exclude other
disease like diabetes, hypothyroidism, celiac disease, turner syndrome, renal failure,
achondroplasia,..etc. with a total of 48 patients due to these causes were excluded from the study.
So the remaining patients were 600 only those exposed to our study. All children investigated for
growth hormone basal level and after provocation by clonidine done for one time .
Results: We found that the basal level of growth hormone was less 0.5 microgram (μg)/liter (L),
0.5 -1 μg/liter and more than 1 μg /liter in 25%, 38% and 37% respectively in our sample, while
the results after provocation were less than 5, 5-10 and more than 10 μg /liter in 60%, 28% and
12% respectively in our sample. The effect of growth hormone in one year therapy the
increment in height was less than 4 cm in 22% of our patients, from 4-8 cm in 50%, and more
than 8 cm in 28 % and we found that the male patients were 384(64%), and the female patients
were 216(36%),with peak difference between bone age and chronological age was more than 2
year for both sex and most of the patientsُ age was more than 15 years.
Conclusion: Most patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency had basal growth hormone
level 0.5 – 1μg/L, while the provocation level was less than 5μg/L and the effect of growth
hormone therapy on height maximally 4-8 cm in proximately 50% of the patients and more than
8 cm in 28% after one year treatment. Patients with isolated Gh deficiency showed good
response to therapy with growth hormone recombinant in a dose 0.1 mg /kg /day