title: Growth hormone therapy in chronic renal failure induces catch-up of head circumference.
abstract: Growth of head circumference was studied along with height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in 21 prepubertal patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) before and during recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment. CRF was present from birth in 15 patients, in the 6 others it was acquired and existing for at least 1 year. Five patients were on chronic dialysis, and 16 children were on conservative treatment with a median glomerular filtration rate of 17 ml/min per 1.73 m2 at the start of rhGH therapy. rhGH was administered for 12 months in all patients, for 18 months in 19, and for 24 months in 12 patients. Mean height standard deviation score (SDS) increased significantly from -2.29 to -1.31 after 1 year and to -1.07 after 2 years. Mean BMI SDS was within the normal range throughout. Mean head circumference SDS improved significantly from -2.04 to -1.45 after 1 year and remained stable thereafter. Changes in head circumference differed between patients under 5 years and those over 5 years. In the former, the increase in head circumference SDS was already significant after 6 months of therapy, in the latter, significance was reached only after 1 year. It can be concluded that rhGH in CRF patients significantly improves head circumference SDS, albeit not to the same extent as height SDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Dyck
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Proesmans
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006257:Head / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007668:Kidney / Q000503:physiopathology; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone