ESPE Abstracts

Background: GH treatments aim to normalize growth, correct health problems associated with GH deficiency, and help patients achieve an adult height in the normal range for the general population and for familial genetic potential.

Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the efficiency of recombinant GH (rhGH) for improving adult height in children with GH deficiency (GHD).

Method:: This is an observational follow up study which enrolled all Albanian children diagnosed with GHD and treated with rhGH, who had attained final height. Their treatment started between 2001 and 2015. Main outcome measures are: annual changes in height, change in height between the start of treatment and adulthood height and the importance of the factors that influence on final height.

Results: Adult height was obtained by 92/176 (52.3%) patients. Male/female ratio was 70/22. The mean age of starting treatment was 13.06±2.61 years (male 13.21±2.53 years and female 12.58±2.87 years). Mean HAZ in the beginning of therapy was −4.28±1.06 (male −4.21±.99, female −4.50±1.26). The mean dose of GH at start of treatment was 0.21 IU/kg per week for 29 patients, 0.24 IU/week for 54 patients and 0.27 IU/week for 9 patients. Height gain was 2.18±1.20 z-scores during 3.73±2.0 years of treatment, resulting in an adult height of −2.08±1.13 z-score (−2.32±1.32 z-score for girls; −2.0±1.25 z-score for boys). Most of the variation in height gain was explained by regression towards the mean, patients’ characteristics, and delay in starting puberty.

Conclusion: The most of our patients with GHD treated with recombinant GH were able to achieve their genetic height potential. Despite starting treatment late, they managed to gain 2.18±1.20 z-scores in height and the final height for majority of them (58.7%) was within the target height range. It was found that the final height had good correlation with the prediction height, HAZ score at beginning of treatment, change of HAZ score during the puberty, duration of treatment with GH, and pubertal stage at the start of therapy.