ESPE Abstracts (2015) 84 P-3-981

aPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey; bPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Bakirkoy Dr Sadi Konuk Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; cPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey; dPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey; ePediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey; fPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey; gPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Tepecik Research and Training Hospital, Izmir, Turkey; hPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey; iPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey; jPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Goztepe Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; kPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey; lPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey; mPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey; nDiyarbakir Children’s State Hospital and Diyarbakir Training and Research Hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey; oPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey; pPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey; qPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Osman Gazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey; rPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey; sPediatric Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova Universitesi, Adana, Turkey


Background: Diagnosis and treatment of GH deficiency(GHD) in children are different between countries, and even among centres in the same country.

Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate current practices in diagnosis and treatment of GHD in the process of preparing the new consensus on GHD by Turkish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes.

Method: A questionnaire was sent out to all paediatric endocrinology centres.

Results: 24 centres returned the questionnaire. The most frequently used GH stimulation test was L-dopa and second one was clonidine. 18 centres used a cut-off value of GH of 10 ng/ml, four centres 7 ng/ml, and two centres 5 ng/ml for the diagnosis of GHD. The most frequently used assay was immunochemiluminescent for GH, IGF1 and IGFBP3. Sex steroid priming in both sexes was used by 19 centres. The most frequently used starting dose in prepubertal children was 0.025–0.030 mg/kg per day and 0.030–0.035 mg/kg per day in pubertal children. Growth velocity was used in the evaluation for growth response to recombinant human GH (rhGH) therapy in all centres. Anthropometric measurements of patients every 3–6 months, fasting blood glucose, bone age and thyroid panel evaluation were used by all centres at follow-up. Therapy was stopped primarily according to decreased height velocity and advanced bone age. 14 centres used combined treatment (rhGH and gonadotropin releasing analogues) to increase final height.

Conclusion: Although conformity was found among centres in current practice, it is very important to update statement and modify the approach to GHD with new evidence based clinical studies.

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