ESPE Abstracts

Background: CrescNet is a large data base used to document children’s growth and weight development in more than 300 primary care practices and in eight specialized paediatric endocrinological centres in Germany.

Aims and method: We investigated 3281 patients with IGF1 measurements during their consultations and subsequent checkups. We analysed 2269 children without an indication for rhGH treatment and 1012 who were subsequently treated with rhGH. A linear model was used to assess the correlation between BMI–SDS and IGF1 SDS. In a group of 1724 rhGH-treated patients we also investigated the correlation between BMI–SDS and IGF1–SDS before and after 3 and 12 months of rhGH treatment.

Results: As expected, a significant correlation between BMI status and IGF-1 serum levels was observed (r_s=0.321; r_p=0.315; slope=0.317; P< 0.001) in the group of untreated patients. For patients subsequently treated with rhGH, the correlation was not significant and the slope of the linear relationship was flatter (Table 1). In addition, a change in the relationship between BMI and IGF-1 serum values was seen in patients under rhGH treatment. The correlation became statistically significant and the slope more parallel to that of the control patients.

Conclusion: The correlation between BMI and IGF1 levels is significantly lower in patients with growth failure who need treatment with rhGH than in control patients but it increases under treatment with rhGH. The BMI–SDS of a patient should be considered in the clinical interpretation of IGF-1 measurements before and after rhGH therapy has been initiated in a patient.