[Optimizing estrogen treatment in Turner syndrome]

Authors deducibled from retrospective analysis of patients data with Turner syndrome, who reached near adult height and from results of many multicentre study, that induction of puberty should be designed individually. They show, that estrogen therapy used in their earlier practice for growth promoting did not improve final height of patients.

The patients were assigned into three groups. The group 1. consisted of untreated patients, who had spontaneous puberty (n = 10). The group 2. consisted of patients, who received oxandrolone and estrogen (n = 18). The group 3. consisted of patients treated with growth hormone (n = 17). In those patients received growth hormone estrogen treatment was started at the age of 14.7 +/- 1.97 years.

The final height or near adult height was 144.0 +/- 4.6 cm, 143.5 +/- 1.8 cm, and 154.2 +/- 7.0 cm in group 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The final height was not greater in the group 2. compared to that found in patients who developed spontaneous puberty (group 1.).

The individual estrogen therapy in patients treated with growth hormone allows feminization, as well as the best adult height, without the occurrence of the more serious mental disturbances.