Long-term effect of growth hormone (GH) treatment on body composition in children with GH deficiency

It is important for GH-deficient children to treat abnormal body composition associated with a metabolic consequence, not only short stature. In this study we evaluated long-term effects of GH therapy on body composition in GH-deficient boys and girls.

Forty-nine subjects with GH deficiency, 35 boys and 14 girls, 6 to 14 years of age, were studied. All the subjects were treated for three years with recombinant human GH at a weekly dosage of 0.5 IU/kg by subcutaneous daily injection. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA 101, Spectrum II 287, RJL Systems, Detroit, Mich).

Body fat (%) decreased significantly during the first three months of GH treatment. These values were maintained low thereafter in boys, in contrast to those which continued to tend upward in girls from the second year of the treatment. Lean body mass (kg) increased significantly with increasing extracellular water (kg) and body cell mass (kg) in both sexes during GH treatment.

Our data demonstrate that GH can reduce body fat mass in GH-deficient boys and girls. The gender difference in changes in body fat with age during the course of this study is compatible with that observed in normal children. The rapid increase in extracellular water and the gradual increase in body cell mass both contributed to the steady increase in LBM during GH treatment.