41 EUROPEAN COLLABORATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC I-44 GROWTH-HORMONE-RELEASING-FACTOR(GRF) ON PLASMA GROWTH HORMONE(GH) IN PREPUBERTAL CHILDREN WITH GROWTH FAILURE. (GRF European Multicenter Study)

Abstract

A 27 European centers collaborative study (supported by SANOFI.) was undertaken to assess the effect of a 2μg/kg/body weight I.V. bolus of synthetic I-44 GRF(SANOFI.) on plasma immunoreactive GH in children w-th growth failure. 106 among the first 106 tested (further analysis extended to 500), in strict compliance with the protocole according to an independent Validation Committee (V.C.) were accepted and classified as: A= no GH deficiency(n=49),B=partial GH deficiency(n=23),C=total GH deficiency(n=34) according to a GH peak(mUI/ml) above 20(A),between 19.9 and 10.1(B) or below 10(C) assessed by 1 or 2 conventional GH secretion provocative tests prior to GRF. The likely cause of growth failure was CNS disorder (n=22), Idiopathic GH deficiency (IGHD, n=38), Chronic disease (n=6), Constitutional short stature (n=40). Mean GH peak (mUI/ml) after GRF were 48.8(A), 32.6(B) and 16.4(C) at 45′, 30′ and 60′ respectively. In partial(B) or total(C) IGHD, mean GH peak (mUI/ml) were 35.8 and 14.9. A good relationship between the GH response to grf and the bio-clinical diagnostic classifisation established by the V.C. was observed. 12/34 patients of C displayed an improved GH response after GRF, previosuly underestimated by other secretagogues. GRF proves to be a well tolerated,usefull and non invasive mean in the assessment of GF secretion in growth deficient children.