title: Growth Hormone Deficiency and Lysinuric Protein Intolerance: Case Report and Review of the Literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI; MIM# 222700) is a rare metabolic disorder caused by a defective cationic amino acids (CAA) membrane transport leading to decreased circulating plasma CAA levels and resulting in dysfunction of the urea cycle. Short stature is commonly observed in children with LPI and has been associated with protein malnutrition. A correlation between LPI and growth hormone deficiency (GHD) has also been postulated because of the known interaction between the AA arginine, ornithine, and lysine and growth hormone (GH) secretion. Our report describes a case of GHD in an LPI patient, who has not presented a significant increase in growth velocity with recombinant-human GH (rhGH) therapy, suggesting some possible pathogenic mechanisms of growth failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  The proband was a 6-year-old boy, diagnosed as suffering from LPI, erythrophagocytosis (HP) in bone marrow, and short stature. Two GH provocative tests revealed GHD. The patient started rhGH therapy and a controlled-protein diet initially with supplementation of oral arginine and then of citrulline. At 3-year follow-up, no significant increase in growth velocity and in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels was observed. Inadequate nutrition and low plasmatic levels of arginine, ornithine, lysine, and HP may have contributed to his poor growth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our case suggests that growth failure in patients with GHD and LPI treated with rhGH could have a complex and multifactorial pathogenesis. Persistently low plasmatic levels of lysine, arginine, and ornithine, associated with dietary protein and caloric restriction and systemic inflammation, could determine a defect in coupling GH to IGF-1 production explaining why GH replacement therapy is not able to significantly improve growth impairment. We hypothesize that a better understanding of growth failure pathophysiology in these patients could lead to the development of more rational strategies to treat short stature in patients with LPI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Reproduction Sciences, Pediatric Clinic, "Giambattista Rossi" Hospital, University of Verona, Verona, Italy, evelina.maines@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maines
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Evelina
authors.forename: Morandi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grazia
authors.forename: Olivieri
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Francesca
authors.forename: Camilot
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marta
authors.forename: Cavarzere
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paolo
authors.forename: Gaudino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossella
authors.forename: Antoniazzi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Bordugo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Andrea