title: Growth hormone treatment adherence in prepubertal and pubertal children with different growth disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Treatment of children with growth disorders with recombinant human growth hormone is necessary for improved outcomes, including final height.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adherence data from the Observational Study Saizen®-online, recorded with the easypod™ device collected between October 2009 and May 2011, were analyzed in pediatric patients receiving recombinant human growth hormone treatment for a variety of growth disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from 75 children (46 boys, 29 girls) with different growth disorders were analyzed over a period of 343 ± 201 (SD) days. Boys and girls showed similar mean ± SD adherence rates of 90.5 ± 3.1% and 92.2 ± 10.7%, respectively. Pubertal children (n = 41) had a significantly lower adherence rate (89.1 ± 13.7%) than prepubertal children (n = 29) (96.5 ± 3.9%; p < 0.005). There were nonsignificant differences in adherence rates according to diagnosis: growth hormone deficiency (n = 48) 91.4 ± 11.0%, small for gestational age (n = 18) 91.1 ± 15.3%, Turner syndrome (n = 6) 86.0 ± 14.5%, and chronic renal failure (n = 3) 99.3 ± 1.0%, although the latter two groups were small.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that only a small number of pediatric patients using the easypod device had poor adherence to treatment. Further reliable adherence data are required to identify factors affecting long-term adherence in this population.
authors.affiliation: Medical Centre of Childhood and Adolescence, Frankfurt, Germany. hartmann@medikijz.de
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ittner
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Müller-Rossberg
authors.forename: Eckhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schönau
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stephan
authors.forename: K-Peter
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Ullrich
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramseger
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brämswig
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011627:Puberty; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014424:Turner Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone