Metabolic effects of growth hormone replacement in two pediatric patients with growth without growth hormone

Growth without growth hormone (GH) has occasionally been described in patients who have had tumors removed in the hypothalamic-pituitary area. Most of these patients have metabolic abnormalities such as obesity, dyslipidemia and fatty liver. This report describes the metabolic beneficial effects of GH replacement in pediatric patients with growth without GH. Two children in whom the growth without GH phenomenon occurred after therapy for brain tumors participated in this study. Case 1 is a 15-yr-old Japanese girl, diagnosed as having Langerhans cell histiocytosis with multiple intracranial lesions at the age of two. She showed a slight body fat increase, dyslipidemia and fatty liver. Case 2 is a 10-yr-old Indonesian boy, diagnosed with craniopharyngioma at the age of three. He was obese and had low bone mineral density (BMD). In both cases, GH replacement therapy was started at 0.042 mg/kg/week for 12 months. Body composition, BMD, and visceral abdominal area were measured every 3 months. Serum fasting blood glucose, insulin, ALT, lipid profile, leptin, and adiponectin levels were also measured every 3 months. Case 1 showed improvement of transaminase (ALT from 64 to 16 IU/L) and triglyceride (from 239 to 129 mg/dL) over 12 months, but did not show a decrease in visceral fat area or of body fat percentage. Case 2 showed a decrease in body fat percentage and visceral fat area, accompanied by elevated serum adiponectin and decreased leptin levels. In conclusion, twelve months GH replacement therapy improves metabolic abnormalities in pediatric patients with growth without GH.