TY - JOUR
T1 - Response to long-term growth hormone therapy in short children with reduced GH bioactivity
AU - Travaglino, Paola
AU - Buzi, Fabio
AU - Meazza, Cristina
AU - Pagani, Sara
AU - Tinelli, Carmine
AU - Iughetti, Lorenzo
AU - De Sanctis, Vincenzo
AU - Aimaretti, Gianluca
AU - Poddighe, Dimitri
AU - Barberi, Salvatore
AU - Bozzola, Mauro
PY - 2006/9/1
Y1 - 2006/9/1
N2 - Background/Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether short children with normal growth hormone (GH) immunoreactivity, but reduced bioactivity (bioinactive GH) could benefit from rhGH treatment as GH deficient (GHD) patients. Methods: We evaluated 12 pre-pubertal children (8 M, 4 F), with GH deficiency-like phenotype showing normal serum GH peak levels (>10 ng/ml), measured by immunofluorimetric assay (IFMA-GH), in contrast with a reduced GH bioactivity (bio-GH), evaluated using the Nb2 cells. We also evaluated 15 age-matched GHD pre-pubertal children (11 M, 4 F) with serum GH peak <5 ng/ml. Both groups were treated with rhGH therapy at the dose of 0.23 mg/kg/week s.c. Results: Serum bio-GH/IFMA-GH ratio at peak time for each patient during the provocative test was significantly lower in bioinactive GH than in GHD children (0.29 vs. 2.05, p = 0.00001). Recombinant human GH therapy induced a significant (p < 0.001) increase in growth rate in both groups during the first 2 years. In the third year of treatment, while growth rate in GHD children is maintained, in bioinactive GH patients it decreases remaining, however higher compared to the pre-treatment one. Conclusions: Short rhGH therapy given to selected bioinactive GH children improve growth rate and might result in greater final adult height.
AB - Background/Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether short children with normal growth hormone (GH) immunoreactivity, but reduced bioactivity (bioinactive GH) could benefit from rhGH treatment as GH deficient (GHD) patients. Methods: We evaluated 12 pre-pubertal children (8 M, 4 F), with GH deficiency-like phenotype showing normal serum GH peak levels (>10 ng/ml), measured by immunofluorimetric assay (IFMA-GH), in contrast with a reduced GH bioactivity (bio-GH), evaluated using the Nb2 cells. We also evaluated 15 age-matched GHD pre-pubertal children (11 M, 4 F) with serum GH peak <5 ng/ml. Both groups were treated with rhGH therapy at the dose of 0.23 mg/kg/week s.c. Results: Serum bio-GH/IFMA-GH ratio at peak time for each patient during the provocative test was significantly lower in bioinactive GH than in GHD children (0.29 vs. 2.05, p = 0.00001). Recombinant human GH therapy induced a significant (p < 0.001) increase in growth rate in both groups during the first 2 years. In the third year of treatment, while growth rate in GHD children is maintained, in bioinactive GH patients it decreases remaining, however higher compared to the pre-treatment one. Conclusions: Short rhGH therapy given to selected bioinactive GH children improve growth rate and might result in greater final adult height.
KW - Growth hormone bioinactivity
KW - Growth hormone deficiency
KW - Growth hormone treatment
KW - Growth velocity
KW - Nb cell bioassay
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U2 - 10.1159/000094483
DO - 10.1159/000094483
M3 - Article
C2 - 16837793
AN - SCOPUS:33748796632
VL - 66
SP - 189
EP - 194
JO - Hormone Research in Paediatrics
JF - Hormone Research in Paediatrics
SN - 1663-2818
IS - 4
ER -