Three-year growth response to growth hormone treatment in very young children born small for gestational age-data

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Margaret C S Boguszewski1, Anders Lindberg, Hartmut A Wollmann

  • 1Department of Pediatrics (M.C.S.B.), Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba PR 80060-900, Brazil; Pfizer Inc (A.L.), Endocrine Care, SE-190 91 Sollentuna, Sweden; and Pfizer Inc (H.A.W.), Endocrine Care, 10117 Berlin, Germany.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|April 25, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Growth hormone (GH) treatment significantly improves height and weight in very young children born small for gestational age (SGA). The existing prediction model for older SGA children accurately estimates growth response in these younger patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Growth and Development
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Children born small for gestational age (SGA) often experience persistent short stature.
  • Early growth failure in SGA children can impact adult height.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the 3-year growth outcomes of growth hormone (GH) therapy in very young SGA children.
  • To validate prediction models for GH treatment response in SGA children aged 2-6 years.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Pfizer International Growth Database (KIGS).
  • Analyzed growth response in 620 SGA children (birth size <-2 SDS) treated with GH.
  • Compared outcomes in two age groups: 2-4 years (n=156) and 4-6 years (n=464).

Main Results:

  • Both age groups showed significant increases in height and weight standard deviation scores (SDS) after 3 years of GH treatment (P < .01).
  • Median height SDS improved from -3.9 to -2.2 in the younger group and -3.4 to -2.0 in the older group.
  • Median weight SDS also significantly increased in both groups.

Conclusions:

  • GH treatment is effective in improving height and weight in very young SGA children lacking spontaneous catch-up growth.
  • Established prediction models for SGA children accurately estimate growth response in this younger cohort.
Abstract

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