title: The impact of recombinant human growth hormone treatment during chronic renal insufficiency on renal transplant recipients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate post-transplant outcomes for patients treated with human growth hormone (rhGH) during the course of chronic renal insufficiency (CRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients (the "cohort" group) were identified who had been enrolled in 2 controlled studies to determine the efficacy and safety of rhGH in growth-retarded children with CRI and were subsequently enrolled in the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS) and received a renal transplant. Patient survival, graft survival, time to first acute rejection episode, causes of graft failure, adverse events, and serial growth data from transplant to 60 months were evaluated. Data from the cohort group of 102 patients were compared with data from 4913 primary transplants from "other NAPRTCS" recipients (the "control" group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference was seen in patient survival or graft survival, incidence of acute rejection episode, or time to first rejection episode between the cohort and control groups. No specific adverse events were attributable to previous rhGH treatment. Only 2 patients had post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease in the cohort group, with no other malignancies reported. The mean height z scores in the cohort group at baseline and 60 months after transplant were -1.92 and -1.90, and the Deltaz score at 60 months was +0.20 compared with the control group (-1.88 and -2.10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment of growth-retarded patients with CRI does not adversely affect graft function after renal transplantation. "Catch-down" growth does not occur after renal transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8111, USA.
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuntze
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blethen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kohaut
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004392:Dwarfism / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006085:Graft Survival; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone