title: The effect of short-term growth hormone treatment on growth and energy expenditure in burned children.
abstract: Delays in growth are commonly observed in children who have sustained a severe cutaneous burn. The reasons for this growth delay are not completely known, but in adults, plasma growth hormone (GH) levels have been shown to decrease after thermal injury. If this is also the case in severely burned children, the low GH levels may contribute to their chronic growth delay. We propose that treatment with rhGH may prevent this burn-induced growth delay. Height velocities were measured for up to 2 years after injury in 38 burned children (age 7+/-1 years) with a 64+/-2% total burn surface area (TBSA) burn and a 59+/-3% third-degree burn who received 0.2 mg/kg/day rhGH during hospitalization. These height velocities were compared to 41 burned children (age 8+/-1 years) with a 64+/-3% TBSA burn and a 60+/-3% TBSA third-degree burn who were treated similarly but did not receive rhGH. Height velocities and height percentiles were compared to standard height velocity and percentile nomograms of unburned children. To determine the effect of rhGH on energy requirements, resting energy expenditures (REE) were measured by indirect calorimetry and compared to values calculated from the Harris-Benedict equation. All data are presented as mean+/-S.E.M. No differences in average height percentile could be shown between those receiving GH and controls at admission and 6 months after burn. There was, however, a significant difference (P<0.05) in height velocity during the first 2 years after burn between GH (47th+/-6 percentile) and controls (32nd+/-5 percentile). For rhGH-treated children, the REE was elevated by 34+/-4% versus 35+/-5% for controls. Recombinant human GH, given during acute hospitalization, maintained growth in severely burned children who would otherwise experience a significant growth delay. Treatment with rhGH did not atttenuate their elevated REE.
authors.affiliation: Shriners Hospital for Children, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 815 Market St., 77550, Galveston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Aili Low
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Barrow
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mittendorfer
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Jeschke
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Chinkes
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Herndon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects*; D002056:Burns / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone