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Pros of priming in the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency

E Nazli Gonc1, Alev Ozon, Ayfer Alikasifoglu

  • 1Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. ngonc@hacettepe.edu.tr

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism : JPEM
|May 3, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Priming with sex steroids aids in diagnosing growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children. However, its effectiveness in improving final height outcomes requires further investigation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Growth Hormone Physiology
  • Diagnostic Testing

Background:

  • The diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children often relies on provocative testing.
  • The use of priming with sex steroids before growth hormone (GH) stimulation tests is a debated topic in pediatric endocrinology.

Observation:

  • While some evidence suggests priming enhances GHD diagnostic accuracy in childhood, its clinical impact is not fully established.
  • Studies examining final height or height gain in growth-restricted children treated with GH after subnormal stimulation tests have yielded inconsistent results.

Findings:

  • This review synthesizes existing literature on priming strategies for GH stimulation tests.
  • The utility of priming as a method to improve the diagnostic capacity of GH stimulation tests is critically analyzed.

Implications:

  • Clarifying the role of priming can optimize GHD diagnosis and subsequent treatment decisions in pediatric patients.
  • Further research is needed to determine if priming influences long-term growth outcomes in children treated for GHD.

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