ESPE Abstracts

Background and objective: The peak GH value plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (iGHD). However, the prediction of peak GH in iGHD diagnosis is known to be limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and diagnostic usefulness of the total sum of GH values obtained from the GH stimulation test.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed 178 prepubertal children who were diagnosed with iGHD in the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology at Kyungpook National University Children’s Hospital for the past 5 years. Of these, 108 were boys and 97 were girls. The iGHD diagnosis was classified as ‘complete iGHD’ for peak GH <5 ng/ml and ‘partial iGHD’ for 5 ≤peak GH <10 ng/ml in the L-dopa and insulin stimulation test (ITT). To investigate the clinical significance of ‘sum of GH’ during GH stimulation test, peak GH value, sIGF-I at the time of diagnosis, delayed bone age (CA-BA), anthropometric data were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: The peak GH value and the sum of GH values in the GH stimulation test were highly correlated in both L-dopa and ITT (r=0.9, P <0.000). The sum of GH in ITT was significantly correlated with sIGF-I in boys (P=0.033). However, peak GH in ITT did not show a significant correlation with sIGF-I. In ITT, the sum of GH values showed significantly inverse correlation with CA-BA (yr) in the partial iGHD group (r=−0.28, P=0.031). However, peak GH in ITT did not show a significant correlation with CA-BA. This suggests that the sum of GH values in ITT seems to be significantly associated with bone maturation.

Conclusions: Total sum of growth hormone values obtained from growth hormone stimulation test may be useful in the diagnosis of prepubertal children with iGHD. Additional large-scale studies are needed.