Abstract
ObjectiveThe use of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in patients with idiopathic short stature (ISS) has been an area of concern since some studies reported less desired effects of the drug in this group of patients as compared to patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). In addition, there were no studies addressing the effects of rhGH in Saudi children. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study to observe the effects one year of treatment with rhGH on the mean height gain in patients with ISS and GHD.MethodsThis retrospective study took place at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah. The study subjects included two groups of patients (GHD vs ISS). Patients' files were reviewed from January 2000 to January 2018 using the following parameters: chronological age, bone age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), growth hormone stimulation test, and growth velocity (GV). After one year of treatment, the height, weight, and BMI of the study subjects were monitored and assessed.ResultsThe total number of patients was 55, 36 of which were diagnosed with GHD while 19 were diagnosed with ISS. The mean age of patients with GHD and ISS were 10.7±2.38 and 10.91±2.74 years, respectively. Both groups showed a significant increase in height. The initial height for patients with GHD was 125.26±12.27 cm, and they achieved a mean height of 134.231±12.88 cm after one year of treatment. For the other group, the initial height for ISS patients was 125.51±10.94 cm, and they achieved a mean height of 134.04±10.90 cm after one-year therapy. However, after the treatment, there was no significant difference in the height gain between GHD and ISS patients (134.231±12.88, 134.04±10.90, respectively, P=0.437).ConclusionThe short-term use of rhGH has a potent and similar effect on increasing the height of both patients diagnosed with ISS as well as GHD.
Highlights
Growth hormone (GH) is a single-chain polypeptide protein synthesized, stored, and released from the anterior pituitary gland in response to a trigger hormone called GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) from the hypothalamus in the brain and moves within the bloodstream into the target cells
After the treatment, there was no significant difference in the height gain between growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and idiopathic short stature (ISS) patients (134.231±12.88, 134.04±10.90, respectively, P=0.437)
The primary role of GH is mediated by another hormone called insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF-1), which is secreted from the liver
Summary
Growth hormone (GH) is a single-chain polypeptide protein synthesized, stored, and released from the anterior pituitary gland in response to a trigger hormone called GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) from the hypothalamus in the brain and moves within the bloodstream into the target cells. It is responsible for most of the metabolic and growth processes inside the body. The primary role of GH is mediated by another hormone called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which is secreted from the liver This hormone functions principally by stimulating cell division and growth. ISS is a condition in which the height is below two standard deviations (SD) of the mean for age in the absence of any endocrine, metabolic, or any other disease that explains the short stature [4,5,6,7,8,9]
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