Growth hormone treatment in small for gestational age children. Experience in one center.

Abstract

Introduction. Small for gestational age (SGA) children usually have a final height of 1 SD below the mean. Three groups are established based on anthropometric characteristics at birth: low birth weight (LBW), short birth length (SBL), or both. Objectives. To describe the characteristics of SGA patients seen at the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology of a tertiary care hospital and to analyze the course of SGA children without catch-up growth at 4 years of age who were receiving treatment with growth hormone (GH), according to their diagnosis. Methods. Retrospective study of SGA patients seen between 2004 and 2021. Results. A total of 89 SGA children were studied; 44/89 started treatment with GH (11/44 LBW, 8/44 SBL, and 25/44 both). Their mean age at diagnosis was 3.87 years; their mean height at treatment initiation was -2.99 SD in SGA children diagnosed by LBW, -2.85 SD in those with SBL, and -3.17 SD in those with both LBW and SBL. Their final height was -1.77, -1.52, and -1.23 SD, respectively, with a total gain of 1.22, 1.33, and 1.93 SD, respectively, thus reaching their target height with a difference of 0.36 ± 0.08 SD. Conclusion. Less than half of SGA children referred to the clinic required treatment with GH because they were not yet 4 years old or had not completed their catch-up growth. SGA patients according to birth weight and length had worse percentiles at diagnosis and a greater response to GH.