Accelerated growth following treatment of children with chronic renal failure with recombinant human growth hormone (somatrem): a preliminary report.
Five male children with chronic renal failure (CRF) and growth retardation were treated with recombinant human GH (somatrem) three times weekly for 6 months. The patients ranged in age from 35 to 91 months and had a mean SD score for height of -3.03 +/- 1.0 at initiation of therapy. Their mean pretreatment height velocity was 4.94 +/- 1.40 cm/year for the year prior to somatrem treatment. Following 6 months of treatment all children had a significant increase in annual height velocity, with the mean annual value for the group being 10.08 +/- 1.97 cm/year (p less than 0.01). Glucose tolerance was monitored and was not significantly affected nor were there any other complications of note. These data indicate that somatrem can produce short-term accelerated height velocity in the child with growth retardation associated with CRF. The long-term benefits of therapy in this group of children is under investigation.
Lippe
B
B
UCLA School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics.
Fine
R N
RN
Koch
V H
VH
Sherman
B M
BM
D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male
D007328:Insulin; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D013006:Growth Hormone; D005947:Glucose