ESPE Abstracts (2014) 82 P-D-3-2-832

University of Medicine and Pharmacy ‘Gr.T. Popa’, Iasi, Romania


Background: Children born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) have a birth weight below 2,500 g at a gestational age over 37 weeks or a birth weight or length below the 3-rd percentile for gestational age. They usually recover growth during the first 6–12 months of life, but if not so, it is unlikely the recovery to happen after the age of two unless GH replacement therapy is initiated.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 1-st year growth response obtained with recombinant rhGH treatment in children with SGA.

Methods: We performed a prospective study to analyse the pattern of growth in ten prepubertal children (seven boys and three girls) with SGA, in the first year of treatment with rhGH.

Results: All children met the criteria to receive rhGH treatment. Chronological age at the initiation of therapy was between 3 and 9 years old. The mean dose of rhGH the children received was 0.036 mg/kg per day. In the 1-st year of treatment, the mean height velocity was 0.67 cm/month, similar in boys and girls (0.65 cm/month in girls, 0.68 cm/month in boys, P<0.05), with a medium height gain of 8 cm (±2.5). Height S.D. of subjects improved throughout the studied period and the medium height increase was approximately +0.5 S.D. in the first year. The increase in IGF1 levels during treatment was positively correlated to heights S.D. gain (r=0.415, P=0.006). No impairments in hematologic and metabolic profiles were observed during treatment and the thyroid function maintained normal.

Conclusion: Growth promoting effects of rhGH therapy in short children born SGA were confirmed, with a good safety profile in the 1-st year of treatment.

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