title: Head circumference in untreated and IGF-I treated patients with Laron syndrome: comparison with untreated and hGH-treated children with isolated growth hormone deficiency.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Head circumference (HC) is a simple and practical measure of brain size, development and longitudinal measurements of the HC in childhood are an index of brain growth.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effects of long IGF-I deficiency and treatment on HC in patients with Laron syndrome (LS).
  
  
  METHODS
  20 untreated adult LS patients, aged 48.4±11.2 years and 13 LS patients treated between ages of 5.6±4 to 11.3±3 years were studied. 15 patients with congenital IGHD treated between age 6.1±4 and 13±4 by hGH served as controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  HC was expressed as standard deviation (SD) and Ht as SDS. HC was measured and plotted on Nellhaus charts. Linear height (Ht) was measured by a Harpenden Stadiometer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mean HC deficit of the adult untreated LS males was -2.9±0.6 SD compared to a Ht deficit of -7.0±1.7 SDS. The HC of the LS adult females was -3.6±1 SD compared to a Ht SDS of -6.9±1.5 (p<0.001). IGF-I treatment (150-200 μg/kg once daily) increased the HC from -3.3±0.9 (m±SD) to normal values (0.87±1.8 SD) (p<0.001) in 11/13 children. The Ht SDS deficit decreased only by 1.5 SDS. hGH treatment of cIGHD children increased the HC from -2.0±1.8 to 0.3±1.2 SD and the Ht SDS from -4.8±1.6 to 1.6±1.0.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Diabetes Research Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49202, Israel. laronz@clalit.org.il
authors.forename: Zvi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Laron
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iluz
authors.forename: Rivka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kauli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency*; D006257:Head / Q000502:physiology*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D046150:Laron Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone