Growth hormone and early treatment.
Growth hormone (GH) treatment is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not only for GH deficiency (GHD) but also for other childhood growth disorders with growth failure and/or short stature. GHD is the most frequent endocrine disorder presenting with short stature in childhood. During neonatal period, metabolic effects due to congenital GHD require a prompt replacement therapy to avoid possible life-threatening complications. In childhood and adolescence, growth impairment is the most evident effect of GHD and early treatment has the aim of restore normal growth and to reach normal adult height. We reassume in this review the conditions causing GHD and the diagnostic challenge to reach an early diagnosis, and an early treatment, necessary to obtain the best results. Finally, we summarize results obtained in clinical studies about pediatric patients with GHD treated at an early age, in which a marked early catch-up growth and a normalization of adult height were obtained.
Department of Pediatrics, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy - franco.antoniazzi@univr.it.
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Antoniazzi
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Cavarzere
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Gaudino
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004392:Dwarfism / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000151:congenital / Q000188:drug therapy; D007027:Hypothalamic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010900:Pituitary Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D063189:Symptom Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D019382:Human Growth Hormone