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Corneal properties in children with congenital isolated growth hormone deficiency
Pinar Nalcacioglu-Yuksekkaya1, Emine Sen2, Ufuk Elgin2
1Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Dr Sami Ulus Children's Health and Disease Training and Research Hospital, Ankara 06080, Turkey.
Insights
Growth hormone (GH) deficiency in children does not appear to affect corneal parameters or central corneal thickness. This finding suggests that early diagnosis and treatment of GH deficiency may preserve corneal health.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Endocrinology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Congenital isolated growth hormone (GH) deficiency is a condition affecting childhood development.
- The impact of GH deficiency on ocular structures, particularly corneal biomechanics, remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare key corneal parameters in children diagnosed with congenital isolated GH deficiency versus healthy controls.
- To assess the potential influence of GH deficiency on corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), intraocular pressure (IOP), and central corneal thickness (CCT).
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional, prospective study involving 50 children with GH deficiency treated with recombinant GH and 71 healthy children.
- Ophthalmic examinations included measurements of CH, CRF, Goldmann-correlated IOP (IOPg), and corneal-compensated IOP (IOPcc) using the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA).
- Central corneal thickness (CCT) was determined using ultrasonic pachymetry.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences were observed between the GH-deficient group and the healthy control group in terms of age or gender.
- Mean values for CH, CRF, IOPg, IOPcc, and CCT showed no significant variations between the two groups.
- The mean duration of recombinant GH therapy in the study group was 3.8 years.
Conclusions:
- Congenital isolated growth hormone deficiency does not appear to significantly alter corneal biomechanical properties or central corneal thickness in children.
- The observed lack of difference may be attributed to the timing of diagnosis and initiation of GH replacement therapy.
- Further research could explore long-term effects and potential subtle changes in corneal parameters.
Aim:
To compare the corneal parameters of children with congenital isolated growth hormone deficiency and healthy subjects.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional, prospective study, 50 cases with growth hormone (GH) deficiency treated with recombinant GH and 71 healthy children underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. The corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), Goldmann-correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg) and corneal-compensated intraocular pressure (IOPcc) were measured with the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA). Central corneal thickness (CCT) was measured by a ultrasonic pachymeter.
Results:
The mean age was 13.0±3.0 years in the GH deficiency group consisting of 21 females and 29 males and 13.4±2.4 years in the healthy children group consisting of 41 females and 30 males. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for gender or age (Chi-square test, P=0.09; independent t-test, P=0.28, respectively). The mean duration of recombinant GH therapy was 3.8±2.4y in the study group. The mean CH, CRF, IOPg and IOPcc values were 11.0±2.0, 10.9±1.9, 15.1±3.3, and 15.1±3.2 mm Hg respectively in the study group. The same values were 10.7±1.7, 10.5±1.7, 15.2±3.3, and 15.3±3.4 mm Hg respectively in the control group. The mean CCT values were 555.7±40.6, 545.1±32.5 µm in the study and control groups respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for CH, CRF, IOPg, IOPcc measurements or CCT values (independent t-test, P=0.315, 0.286, 0.145, 0.747, 0.13 respectively).
Conclusion:
Our study suggests that GH deficiency does not have an effect on the corneal parameters and CCT values. This observation could be because of the duration between the beginning of disease and the diagnosis and beginning of GH therapy.
