The effects of growth hormone treatment in patients with somatotropin deficiency during their developmental age.

Introduction: In Poland treatment with growth hormone of adolescent patients dates back to 1964. Till 1993 the therapy was conducted in an interrupted manner, depending on the periodic availability of the drug. The data form such forms of therapy suggested that the end height within 3rd centile was achieved only by a portion of treated patients. Since 1995 the growth hormone is used in continuous therapy, which allows to sum up the effects of the therapy, including the growth rate and end height.

Material And Methods: A total of 117 children and adolescent of both sexes, aged 4.6 to 18.1 years, with diagnosed somatotropic or multihormonal pituitary insufficiency were included in the study. All of them were treated with growth hormone and had an analysis of growth rate and end height.

Results: In the first 6 months of growth hormone treatment the growth rate achieved 10.4 cm/year in boys and 10.0 in girls and showed no correlation with maturation status. In the second half of the year the growth rate declined slightly. During the remainder of the therapy the growth rate markedly declined, and this effect was most notable in girls. In 93% of patients after the end of therapy the final height was no different than the expected height.

Conclusions: 1. The growth rate in first half a year of the treatment was 3 times higher than before the beginning of therapy. 2. In the second half of the first year the growth rate slightly declined. 3. In following years the growth rate declined notably. 4. The final achieved height in most of the patients does not differ from the prognosed height.