Serum osteocalcin in normal and short Chinese children

Serum osteocalcin was measured by radioimmunoassay in 200 normal children and adolescents, and seven growth hormone (GH) deficient and seven non-growth hormone deficient (NGHD) short children. There was a sex- and age-dependent change in the serum osteocalcin concentrations in normal children and adolescents with a pattern similar to the childhood height velocity curves. The serum osteocalcin concentration was in the low normal range in most patients with GH deficiency and NGHD short stature. GH therapy significantly increased the growth velocity in both groups of short children. GH treatment resulted in a significant rise in serum osteocalcin concentrations after 6 and 12 months in NGHD children but a more variable change was observed in GH-deficient children. Although osteocalcin levels may give some biochemical indication of growth, these measurements should be used together with auxological and other biochemical measurements to assess growth reliably.