ESPE Abstracts

Keywords: recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), growth hormone deficiency (GHD), short stature

Background: Recombinant growth hormone is used for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency. In children treated early, catch-up growth is excellent, with a normal final height. A final height gain of 30 cm can be expected on average. However, it has long been recognized that there is variability in the magnitude of individuals' responses to GH. Several factors may contribute to this variability, including birthweight, age at start of treatment, extent of this deficiency, duration of treatment, and frequency of growth hormone injections, height at start of treatment, and height at the start of puberty.

Aims: To evaluate factors influencing response to growth hormone therapy in patients with GH deficiency.

Patients and Methods: this is a case series. Children diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital from January 2012 to June 2019 were initiated on GH. Detailed clinical, biochemical, radiological, and treatment parameters were recorded at baseline and follow-up. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21.

Results: We received 159 patients who were diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency and treated with rhGH. Mean chronological age and bone age at treatment start were 7.7 and 4.4 yr., respectively. Gain in height for the first twelve months of treatment was 9.5 cm (4.5 – 18 cm). Growth velocity was reduced after one year of treatment but still attained a normal catch-up growth. Duration of growth hormone therapy, age at onset and bone age onset independently impacted the first-year growth velocity cm.

Conclusions: Early diagnosis and delayed bone age are determinants of a better response. Growth hormone must be administered as soon as possible for catch up height SDs within target height SD range.