title: [Effects of human growth hormone on very short children with intermediate responses to somatotropic stimulation tests].
abstract: The effects of treatment with human growth hormone (hGH) were studied in 29 patients aged 2 to 16 years with growth retardation between 2.2 and 6 standard deviations and insufficient growth velocity in whom repeated pharmacologic somatotropic stimulation tests had shown discordant responses either above 7 ng/ml, or lower than 6 ng/ml. An important acceleration of growth was obtained in 10 of 16 patients before puberty and in all the 13 cases treated at the beginning of puberty. No correlation was observed between the GH levels observed during the stimulation tests and the clinical results of treatment. These data lead to discuss partial GH deficiency and to propose a trial of treatment in very short children with low and/or dissociated responses to repeated tests of pituitary somatotropic secretion.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D013006:Growth Hormone
vernacular_title: Effets de l'hormone de croissance humaine sur les enfants de très petite taille avec réponses intermédiaires aux épreuves de stimulation somatotrope.