title: Effect of growth hormone on exercise tolerance in children with cystic fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effect of growth hormone (GH) treatment on exercise tolerance in children with cystic fibrosis was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  10 prepubertal children (mean +/- SD; age: 12.1 +/- 1.7 yr; height: 137.4 +/- 9.2 cm; body mass: 27.8 +/- 4.2 kg; forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1): 68 +/- 22% predicted) were randomly assigned to either control period (CON, standard therapy) or recombinant human growth hormone (GH) period (additional GH treatment, 0.11-0.14 IU.kg-1, daily, s.c.) for the first 6 months, and then assigned to the other period for the next 6 months. At study entry and after each period, anthropometric data, pulmonary function, and exercise capacity (peak exercise capacity, .VO(2peak), and isokinetic muscle strength) were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Changes in height (+4.3 +/- 1.0 cm), total body mass (+2.2 +/- 0.8 kg), and lean body mass (LBM, +2.9 +/- 0.7 kg) were significantly higher (P < 0.01) after GH treatment compared with CON. Pulmonary function did not significantly change in either of the periods. In contrast to CON, GH treatment improved absolute .VO(2peak) (+19%, P < 0.01), peak ventilation (+14%, P < 0.01), and peak oxygen pulse (+18%, P < 0.01). Analysis of variance revealed that most of the changes (71%) in .VO(2peak) could be explained by those in LBM and FEV1 (P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GH treatment clearly improved exercise tolerance, presumably resulting from the combined effects of GH on the muscular, cardiovascular, and pulmonary capacity.
authors.affiliation: Sports Medicine, Free University Berlin, Clayallee 225C, 14195 Berlin, Germany. huetler@zedat.fu-berlin.de
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hütler
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schnabel
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Staab
authors.forename: Albrecht
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tacke
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wahn
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Böning
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beneke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone