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Liver abnormalities during growth hormone treatment
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|August 15, 2000
Summary
Growth hormone (GH) treatment may cause a mild, temporary rise in liver enzymes in children with GH deficiency (GHD). This increase is usually self-limiting and does not require stopping therapy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Growth hormone (GH) treatment is associated with occasional, transient increases in liver enzymes in girls with Turner syndrome (TS).
- The impact of GH on liver and muscular enzymes in GH deficiency (GHD) requires further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the specific role of GH treatment on liver and muscular enzymes in patients with GHD.
- To assess the incidence, characteristics, and management of enzyme level changes during GH therapy.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 78 patients (48 boys) with GHD treated with GH for at least 1 year.
- Patients had normal baseline liver and muscular enzyme levels before GH therapy.
- Enzyme levels (transaminases, AST, CK) were monitored during treatment.
Main Results:
- A mild, asymptomatic increase in serum transaminases was observed in 6.4% of GHD patients during GH treatment.
- 3.8% experienced isolated, transient, self-limiting increases in liver transaminases, normalizing within 3-6 months.
- Three patients showed transient increases in both AST and creatine phosphokinase (CK), also self-normalizing.
Conclusions:
- A mild, transient, and self-limiting increase in serum transaminases can occur during GH treatment for GHD.
- Measuring CK levels can help differentiate between muscular and hepatic causes of hypertransaminasemia.
- This enzyme elevation generally does not necessitate further investigation unless persistent.