[The current treatment concept of Turner syndrome]

Turner's Syndrome (XO Karyotype or XO/XX mosaicism) affects 1 in 2500 females. It results in short stature (mean adult height is about 146 cm), infertility and the lack of secondary sexual characteristics. Hormone replacement therapy to develop secondary sexual characteristics has been used for years whereas several growth promoting agents undergo clinical trials at the moment. Our current management for patients with Turner's Syndrome includes the induction of puberty at a bone age of 11 to 12 years with low dose oestradiol and the application of biosynthetic human growth hormone (hGH) when growth velocity falls below the normal range. In our group of previously untreated patients (4.6-14 years) one year results of hGH application (12-18 IU/m2/week 7 equal doses sc/week) show a clear improvement of growth velocity (3.43 + 0.44 cm/year before therapy versus 6.2 + 1.14 cm/year after the first year of treatment, p less than 0.001). The growth promoting effect of hGH therapy might further be improved by the combination with anabolic steroids like oxandrolon.