ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Growth velocity is reduced in patients with GH deficiency and this may result in an increase in Body Mass Index (BMI). Treatment performed with Growth Hormone (GH) while accelerating growth velocity, might reduce BMI. The objective of this study was to evaluate BMI in patients with GHD at diagnosis, 1 y and 2 y after started treatment with GH and to compare if there is difference between the BMI of the patients with and without pituitary abnormalities.

Methods: Were analyzed medical records of patients with GHD, sex, chronological age (CA) at diagnosis, height and weight to obtained BMI (BMI-SDS) at diagnosis, 1 y and 2 y after started treatment of GH, and reports of MRI and/or CT scans of patients at age 3 to 16 y among 1995 to 2016 at Pediatric Endocrinology Ambulatory at Regional University of Blumenau. It was approved by the Ethics Committee.

Results: One hundred and forty-one patients were evaluated, 82 male, pituitary abnormalities were found in 42, CA at diagnosis were 10.14 y (mean). The accentuated lean group presented significant differences between BMI-SDS at diagnosis and the second year of treatment (−4.21 to −2.89, P<0.05). The lean group showed a significant difference between BMI-SDS at diagnosis and the first year of treatment (−2.4 to −1.94, P<0.05) but not with the 2^nd y of treatment. In patients with overweight/obesity at diagnosis, the BMI-SDS decreased significantly in the 1st year (1.38 to 1.12, P<0.05) and then rose again (1.3) until 2^nd y. The patients with normal BMI-SDS at diagnosis remained normal at 2^nd y of treatment. No differences were found in BMI-SDS when compared patients with and without pituitary abnormalities during 2 y of treatment.

Conclusion: In this sample BMI-SDS increased in patients with very low BMI, decreased in patients with high BMI and remained constant in eutrophic patients during treatment with GH. Although height gain in overweight/obese patients with GHD should have feed control during GH treatment in this patients. No differences were found in BMI-SDS when compared patients with and without pituitary abnormalities.