Comparison of food intake and height increment in normal and constitutionally short children and in children with growth hormone deficiency.

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The relation between height increment and food intake in 21 growth-hormonedeficient patients was studied in comparison with 10 normal and 13 constitutionally short children. Total calory of food intake and height increment were 64.6±18.6 Cal/kg/day and 7.31±2.53cm/year in normal children, 71.4±17.7Cal./kg/day and 6.13±1.52cm/year in constitutionally short children and 64.59±29.14Cal/kg/day and 5.29±1.11cm/year in HGH-deficient patients who were given HGH at a small dose ranging from 0.17 to 0.375 (0.248±0.064) IU/kg/week. Distribution of carbohydrate, protein and fat did not show any significant difference in relation to the total calory. A significant correlative relation between food intake and height increment was noted in normal children (r=0.748p<0.01) and in children with constitutionally short stature (r=0.7005p<0.005). Food intake by which to be able to expect normal prepubertal or pubertal growth is likely to be more than47.3Cal/kg/day. In a group of16HGH-deficient patients who had food intake ranging from 26.9 to 78 Cal/kg/day, a significant correlation between food intake and height increment was observed (r=0.473p<0.05), but in5patients who had food intake with more than 80 Cal/kg/day, height increment was not related to food intake but ranged from 5.4to 6.3cm/year. In a group of HGH-deficient patients who had food intake ranging from26.9 to 78 Cal/kg/day, the food intake of9responders to HGH (56.55±10.34 Cal/kg/day) was significantly more than that of 7 non-responders to HGH treatment (42.0±11.8Cal/kg/day), despite no statistically significant difference in HGH dose between responders and non-responders. These data suggest that the decreased food intake is one of the causative factors which induce unresponsiveness to HGH in HGH-deficient children who are treated with a small dose of HGH.