title: Treatment of growth-hormone deficiency with growth-hormone-releasing hormone.
abstract: 18 prepubertal growth-hormone (GH)-deficient children were treated with twice-daily subcutaneous injections of a growth-hormone-releasing hormone analogue, GHRH (1-29) NH2. In 12 of the children the height velocity rose on GHRH treatment, and 8 were judged to have shown a worthwhile response to therapy in that their height velocities during the first 6 months of treatment increased by greater than 2 cm/yr (range 2.7-11.2 cm/yr). These 8 children have now been treated for 6 to 18 months and their increase in height velocity has been maintained. In the 14 patients who had previously received human GH (hGH) height velocity on hGH correlated with that on GHRH. 4 of these patients showed growth deceleration with GHRH, for unknown reasons. A pretreatment peak serum GH response of above 30 mU/l during an intravenous GHRH test was predictive of a good growth response to GHRH but a lower peak did not preclude a growth response. There was no consistent evidence of a priming or desensitisation effect of therapy on the GH responses to GHRH. Although anti-GHRH antibodies developed in 14 patients, these did not seem to have adverse effects on either growth or the GH responses to GHRH. GHRH (1-29) NH2 therapy is an alternative to conventional hGH in the treatment of some GH-deficient children. Ideal dose regimens need to be established.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency*; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D017337:Sermorelin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D017337:Sermorelin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; C045616:somatotropin releasing hormone (1-29)-amide, N-Ac-Tyr(1)-Phe(2)-