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Growth and growth hormone in children born small for gestational age

Robert Rapaport1, Torsten Tuvemo

  • 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029-5216, USA. robert.rapaport@msnyuhealth.org

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|November 3, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Growth hormone therapy helps children born small for gestational age achieve optimal height. This treatment is approved for pediatric patients who do not experience natural growth catch-up by age four.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Growth and Development
  • Pharmacological Interventions

Background:

  • Most children born small for gestational age (SGA) achieve catch-up growth by age 2.
  • However, up to 14% of SGA children exhibit persistent growth failure, remaining below -2 standard deviations for height.
  • This underscores the need for effective interventions for SGA children with suboptimal growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of growth hormone (GH) therapy in promoting catch-up growth in children born small for gestational age.
  • To assess the role of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in addressing persistent growth deficits in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical studies investigating the effects of growth hormone therapy in children born small for gestational age.
  • Analysis of growth data in SGA children treated with recombinant growth hormone.

Main Results:

  • Growth hormone therapy demonstrates a capacity to induce significant catch-up growth in children born small for gestational age.
  • Treatment with recombinant growth hormone is effective in improving height outcomes for SGA children experiencing growth failure.

Conclusions:

  • Clinical evidence supports the use of growth hormone therapy for children born small for gestational age with persistent growth issues.
  • Recombinant growth hormone is a viable therapeutic option for improving height in SGA children who fail to achieve adequate catch-up growth.
Abstract

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