title: Bone alkaline phosphatase and height velocity in short normal children undergoing growth-promoting treatments: longitudinal study.
abstract: We studied the temporal and quantitative relation between bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and height velocity in 62 short normal children as part of a prospective randomized study to compare placebo, growth hormone, oxandralone, and testosterone, singly and in combination, in promoting short-term growth acceleration and increased final height. The pretreatment cross-sectional correlation between bone ALP and height velocity was poor (P > or = 0.25), but was much higher (P = 0.0001) 3 months after treatment started. In each treatment group, there was a parallel relation between bone ALP and height velocity through time. Individual children showed a variety of growth responses over 12-42 months, but in almost all cases bone ALP paralleled height velocity. Within individual children, bone ALP was strongly correlated with 6-month height velocity (r > 0.9 in 30% of the children, r > 0.7 in 70%). We conclude that bone ALP is a useful short-term marker of growth in short normal children treated with growth hormone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Biochemistry, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Crofton
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Stirling
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kelnar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism*; D001827:Body Height; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000201:enzymology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010919:Placebos; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos; D013006:Growth Hormone; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase