title: Effect of deslorelin-induced pubertal delay on the growth of adolescents with short stature and normally timed puberty: preliminary results.
abstract: LH-releasing hormone agonist (LHRHa) treatment slows bone maturation and improves adult height in children with LHRH-dependent precocious puberty. To determine whether pubertal delay induced by LHRHa can enhance final height in patients with short stature and a normally timed puberty, we enrolled 43 short children (28 girls and 15 boys) in a double blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients were assigned randomly to receive either placebo or LHRHa (deslorelin), administered sc at a dose of 4 micrograms/kg.day for a period of 4 yr. This report describes the preliminary results in 16 children who have completed 4 yr of treatment (9 patients in the deslorelin group and 7 patients in the placebo group). Predicted adult height increased significantly in the deslorelin-treated patients, by 7.6 cm compared to the pretreatment baseline and by 10.3 cm compared to that in the placebo-treated patients (P < 0.005). Four of the 16 patients received concurrent GH treatment (3 among the deslorelin-treated patients and 1 among the placebo-treated patients). Omitting these patients from the analysis did not materially affect the results: predicted adult height in the deslorelin-treated patients increased by 7.2 cm compared to the pretreatment baseline and by 10.9 cm compared to that in the placebo-treated patients (P < 0.005). We conclude that pubertal delay induced by deslorelin significantly increases predicted adult height in adolescents with short stature and a normally timed puberty. Whether deslorelin treatment will increase the final height of these patients cannot be determined until they have stopped growing.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Municchi
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: O H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Pescovitz
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Cassorla
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Cutler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent / Q000502:physiology*; D001827:Body Height; D001846:Bone Development; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000187:drug effects*; D017329:Triptorelin Pamoate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D006062:Gonadotropins; D017329:Triptorelin Pamoate; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; C066438:deslorelin