title: Growth hormone treatment in short children with beta-thalassemia major.
abstract: The effect of one year recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment on growth rate and bone age was studied in ten short prepubertal children with beta-thalassemia major (age range 7.10-12.03 yr) with normal GH response to provocative stimuli. rhGH was given subcutaneously every day in a dose of 28 IU/m2/week. In the 10 children who completed 12 months of treatment the growth velocity increased from 4.22+/-0.81 cm/yr (-1.38+/-0.80 SDS for CA) to 7.61+/-1.16 cm/yr (+2.27+/-1.64 SDS for CA). IGF-I was low before treatment, 138.3 +/-38.9 ng/ml, and rose significantly to 232.2+/-122.1, 243.2+/-98.4 and 227.5+/-86.2 at 3, 6 and 12 months post-treatment, respectively (p<0.01). Bone maturation was accelerated in proportion to the increase in chronological age. The mean pre-treatment bone age in the ten children was 8.20+/-1.97 and increased to 9.55+/-1.80 yr after one year of treatment. Our data demonstrate that GH treatment of thalassemic children with normal GH reserve and low serum IGF-I concentrations with supraphysiological doses of rhGH for one year can cause a significant increase in serum IGF-I levels and growth velocity, but it remains to be elucidated whether long-term administration will affect the final height.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Aristotle University, Hippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Katzos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papakostantinou-Athanasiadou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Athanasiou-Metaxa
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Harsoulis
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013974:Thyroxine