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The effect of short-term growth hormone or low-dose oxandrolone treatment in boys with constitutional growth delay
S Loche1, C Pintor, P Cambiaso
1Istituto di Clinica Pediatrica, Università di Cagliari, Italy.
Insights
Low-dose oxandrolone and growth hormone (GH) both effectively accelerate growth in boys with constitutional growth delay (CGD). Oxandrolone offers a cheaper, convenient alternative for treating CGD.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Growth Disorders
Background:
- Constitutional growth delay (CGD) is a common cause of short stature in children.
- Growth hormone (GH) therapy is a standard treatment, but alternatives are sought.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of low-dose oxandrolone versus GH in accelerating growth in boys with CGD.
- To evaluate the impact on height velocity (HV) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels.
Main Methods:
- Sixteen boys with CGD were randomized into two groups.
- Group 1 received GH (0.6 U/kg/week); Group 2 received oxandrolone (0.07 mg/kg/day) for six months.
- Key parameters including age, bone age, height SDS, and HV were matched between groups.
Main Results:
- Both GH and oxandrolone significantly increased HV after six months (7.5 vs. 8.1 cm/year, respectively).
- Plasma IGF-I concentrations rose significantly in both treatment groups.
- Predicted adult height was not significantly different between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Short-term, low-dose oxandrolone is as effective as GH in accelerating growth in boys with CGD.
- Low-dose oxandrolone presents a cost-effective and convenient therapeutic option for CGD.
Abstract:
We evaluated the effect of six-month treatment with growth hormone (GH) or low-dose oxandrolone in a group of boys with constitutional growth delay (CGD). Sixteen boys were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. Group 1 received GH (0.6 U/kg/week sc 5-6 times/week) and Group 2 received oxandrolone (0.07 mg/kg po). The boys of the two groups were closely matched for age (13.7 +/- 0.5 and 12.8 +/- 0.4 years) (mean +/- SE), chronologic age/bone age ratio (1.15 +/- 0.04 and 1.16 +/- 0.02), height standard deviation score (SDS; -2.7 +/- 0.4 and -2.5 +/- 0.3) and pretreatment height velocity (HV) (3.7 +/- 0.8 and 4.0 +/- 0.4 cm/year). Other known causes of short stature were excluded in all subjects, and none had taken long-term medication prior to the study. After 6 months of treatment HV increased to 7.5 +/- 0.4 and to 8.1 +/- 0.5 cm/year in group 1 and 2, respectively. Plasma IGF-I concentrations rose significantly after treatment in both groups. Predicted adult height was not significantly affected by either GH or oxandrolone treatment. We conclude that a short-term course of low-dose oxandrolone is as effective as GH to accelerate growth in boys with CGD. Low-dose oxandrolone represents an effective, cheap, and convenient therapeutic approach in boys with CGD.