ESPE2015 Poster Category 3 GH & IGF (68 abstracts)
ADepartment of Pediatrics, P&A Kyriakou Childrens Hospital, Athens, Greece
Background: It has been suggested that Vitamin A intake may affect height velocity in children with GH deficiency (GHD) who were under GH replacement (GHR).
Objective and hypotheses: Aim of the study was to evaluate vitamin A levels in GHD children under GHR.
Method: Vitamin A levels were measured in 38 children (23 males, mean age 10.8 (S.D. 3.3) years) with GHD, after mean duration of GH treatment of 3.1 (S.D. 2.6) years. Height, weight, BMI, height S.D.s, height velocity S.D. were evaluated at the time of vitamin A measurement and 1 year before. Vitamin D and PTH levels were also measured at the same time.
Results: Linear Regression analysis showed that height velocity and height velocity S.D.s were not correlated with vitamin A levels. Furthermore no difference could be detected in height velocity S.D.s between children with low (11 subjects) or children with normal vitamin A levels (25 subjects). Males had significantly higher levels of vitamin A compared with females (mean S.D.) 0.43 (0.14) vs 0.33 (0.09) μg/ml respectively (P=0.014) Height velocity S.D.s had a positive correlation with vitamin D levels (R2 adjusted 0.382 B=0.246, SE 0.072, r=0.671, P=0.004).
Conclusion: Vitamin D levels and not vitamin A are correlated with height velocity in children with GHD who are under GH treatment.