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Long-term treatment with GHRH [1-44] amide in prepubertal children with classical growth hormone deficiency
1Department of Pediatrics at Evanston Hospital, IL, USA.
Insights
Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) [1-44] treatment improved height velocity and IGF-I levels in prepubertal children with GH deficiency. This therapy led to sustained growth and reduced height discrepancies over four years without adverse effects.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Growth Hormone Therapy
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Growth Hormone (GH) deficiency in prepubertal children significantly impacts linear growth.
- Current treatments aim to normalize growth velocity and achieve adult height comparable to genetic potential.
- Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone (GHRH) stimulates endogenous GH secretion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of GHRH [1-44] in prepubertal children with GH deficiency.
- To assess the impact of GHRH [1-44] on height velocity, Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) levels, and height standard deviation scores (SDS).
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 20 prepubertal patients with GH deficiency received GHRH [1-44] at 10 or 20 micrograms/kg twice daily.
- Treatment duration extended up to four years for some patients.
- Height velocity, IGF-I levels, and height SDS were monitored throughout the study period.
Main Results:
- GHRH [1-44] treatment resulted in a sustained increase in height velocity, from a mean pretreatment value of 3.57 cm/yr to over 6 cm/yr after four years.
- IGF-I levels rose and remained within the normal range during treatment.
- The difference in height SDS between children and their parents significantly decreased from -2.43 to -0.48 after four years.
Conclusions:
- Twice-daily GHRH [1-44] administration is an effective treatment for improving growth velocity in prepubertal GH-deficient children.
- The treatment led to sustained growth and improved height SDS, approaching parental height SDS.
- No adverse effects were reported, indicating a favorable safety profile for GHRH [1-44] therapy.
Abstract:
A cohort of 20 GH deficient prepubertal patients were treated with GHRH [1-44] 10 micrograms/kg or 20 micrograms/kg twice daily for up to four years (5 patients). GHRH treatment resulted in sustained improvement in height velocity. The mean prepubertal height velocity was 3.57 +/- 1.05 cm/yr pretreatment; 8.49 +/- 1.45 cm/yr at year 1; 6.86 +/- 1.45 cm/yr at year 2; 6.22 +/- 0.74 cm/yr at year 3; and 6.16 +/- 0.97 cm/yr at year 4. IGF-I levels increased and remained within normal range. The difference between the children's and the parents' Ht SD scores significantly diminished from a pretreatment difference of -2.43 to -0.48 after four years of treatment. No adverse effects were noted during treatment. We conclude that twice-daily GHRH [1-44] treatment in a small group of prepubertal GH deficient children resulted in sustained improvement in height and growth velocity, and achieved height SDS approaching closely those of their parents.
