title: Cardiac effects of growth hormone in short normal children: results after four years of treatment.
abstract: Growth hormone excess is known to have adverse effects on the heart. The long term cardiac effects of growth hormone given to short normal children as part of a prospective randomised controlled trial of growth hormone treatment (Genotropin 30 IU/m2/week v no treatment) were therefore investigated. Echocardiographic findings are presented for 28 children who have been followed up for a minimum of four years. At the outset, the treated (n = 15) and untreated groups (n = 13) did not differ for any anthropometric or echocardiographic parameter. Their mean (SD) age at onset was 7.8 (0.5) years. After four years of treatment mean height SD score increased from -2.4 to -1.2 compared with no change (-2.5) in the untreated group. Left ventricular posterior wall and septal thickness and left ventricular shortening fraction did not differ between the groups, but a tendency towards increased left ventricular mass was seen in the treatment group (93 v 73 g). No such differential was observed after indexing left ventricular mass for body surface area (79 v 71 g/m2) or lean body mass (3.15 v 3.05 g/kg). It is concluded that prolonged growth hormone treatment does not cause important changes to the heart. A tendency towards increased left ventricular mass simply reflects the increase in lean body mass during treatment.
authors.affiliation: Southampton University Hospitals Trust, Wessex Cardiothoracic Centre.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Daubeney
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: McCaughey
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chase
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Slavik
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Betts
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Webber
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D013006:Growth Hormone