title: Prospective clinical trial of human growth hormone in short children without growth hormone deficiency.
abstract: Ten unselected, apparently healthy short children who were capable of normal growth hormone secretion were given human growth hormone (0.1 U/kg 1M thrice weekly) for 6 months to determine whether such treatment might lead to an increase in growth velocity. During treatment, all patients increased their growth rate (from 4.3 +/- 0.3 cm/yr to 7.4 +/- 0.5 cm/yr P less than 0.001). No adverse effects were detected. During the four-day IGF generation test, IGF I and IGF II levels rose significantly from 0.32 +/- 0.04 U/ml to 0.62 +/- 0.13 U/ml and from 279 +/- 36 ng/ml to 434 +/- 49 ng/ml, respectively. However, the growth response was not predicted by either the acute rise in IGF I or that in IGF II. Human growth hormone in standard doses may be capable of inducing accelerated growth in some short children without growth hormone deficiency. Measurements of IGF I and II cannot be used to predict which children will respond.
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D010455:Peptides; D013002:Somatomedins; D013006:Growth Hormone