506 SHORT CHILDREN SECRETE INSUFFICIENT QUANTITIES OF GROWTH HORMONE

Abstract

We compared the 24-h integrated concentration of growth hormone (IC-GH) from 46 children of normal stature (NS) with 90 short children. Nineteen of the short children had classical GH deficiency (GHD) by standard pharmacologic growth hormone stimulation tests. Seventy-one children had normal GH (NGH) responses to stimulation. The mean IC-GH of NS (6.6±1.9 ng/ml) > NGH (3.8±2.3 ng/ml) > GHD (1.6±0.6 ng/ml), differences between groups were all statistically significant (P<0.0001). Forty-five percent of NGH children had IC-GHs within the range of the GHD group and this may be the explanation for their poor growth. Thus, NGH is a mixed group of patients with a spectrum of spontaneous GH secretion ranging from normal to impaired. Fourteen NGH children with low IC-GH (<3 ng/ml) were treated with GH. Ten of them had an increase in growth rate of 50% or more from pretreatment growth rate.Conclusion: l/The IC-GH test is indicated for all children who present with clinical feature of GH deficiency even if their GH response to pharmacological stimuli is normal. 2/GH therapy of NGH children with low IC-GH levels can promote significant improvement in growth rate.