The Impact of Growth Hormone Therapy on Glucose Metabolism of Children with Growth Hormone Deficiency

Abstract

Introduction: Growth hormone (GH) has well known effects on carbohydrate metabolism. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effects of GH therapy on glucose metabolism in children with GH deficiency. Materials and methods: Fasting glycemia was measured before and after 12, 24 and 36 months of GH therapy (0.035 mg/kg/day). Besides, the data of Glycated heamoglobin perfomed after a treatment duration of 2 years were collected. Results: The fasting glycemias remained normals with only one patient with impairment fasting glycose. The mean of fasting glycemia after 12, 24 and 36 months was slightly higher than the pre-treatment values. As for the glycated heamoglobin, it was normal for all our patients except three ones. Conclusion: Our data show that GH therapy in GH deficient children have an increasement impact of the levels of fasting glycemia and glycated heamoglobin, but further studies with large cohort and longuer follow-up ares required to evaluate this impact.