title: Psychosocial growth failure: a positive response to growth hormone and placebo.
abstract: Seven children were diagnosed as having an emotional cause for growth failure. Pretreatment growth hormone secretion profiles during sleep were analysed using PULSAR. Mean (+/- SD) growth hormone concentration was 10.9 (4.4) mU/l, mean peak 19.6 (6.7) mU/l and the peak-to-peak interval 147 (108) min. Mean (SEM) IGF-I was 1.08 (0.31). The seven children received a six-month course of recombinant growth hormone in a double-blind, crossover study using a dose of 1.2 U/kg/week (28 U/m2/week). Daily placebo injections were given for the other six-month epoch, with a one month washout period. The mean (SEM) growth velocity SD score after growth hormone administration was +4.66 (1.88) and after placebo -0.60 (0.69), each value being greater than the pretreatment value of -2.32 (0.122) (p less than 0.0001 on analysis of variance). The change in IGF-I during growth hormone treatment was not significant. No significant changes in food energy or protein intake occurred.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, John Hunter Hospital, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Boulton
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Single
mesh_terms: D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone