[Puberty and growth development in patients with a 21-hydroxylase defect]

Twenty six females suffering from congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase-deficiency with and without salt wasting were evaluated to determine their growth patterns with special regard to their pubertal growth spurt. 17 patients have been substituted with hydrocortisone 20-25 mg/m2 and if necessary with 9 alpha-fluoro-cortisol 0.025-0.15 mg (group 1), 9 patients have got an additional cyproterone-acetate-therapy during their pubertal development (group 2). Group 1: A pubertal growth spurt was found in 14 females (82.4%) with a peak height velocity of 6.2 +/- 1.6 (SD) cm/yr. At the beginning of puberty the early treated girls showed a progressing retardation of bone age. Therefore the peak height velocity based on advancing bone age was elevated up to 8.7 +/- 1.4 (SD) cm/yr bone age (p = 0.01). Salt wasting (n = 10) did not seem to influence the pubertal growth velocity and the pubertal growth spurt (p = 0.1, p greater than 0.1), but the growth until cessation which was found to be markedly decreased (p less than 0.1). Group 2: Cyproterone-acetate suppressed symptoms of puberty but did not extinguish growth spurt. During 6.3 +/- 1.3 (SD) yrs of treatment bone age advanced only 4.2 +/- 0.7 (SD) yrs. However, in this period height increased by 20.8 +/- 6.4 (SD) cm which corresponds to a mean height velocity of 3.3 +/- 0.8 (SD) cm/yr, and 4.9 +/- 0.8 (SD) cm/yr bone age. Furthermore at puberty peak height velocity results in 4.5 +/- 0.7 (SD) cm/yr and in 10.4 +/- 4.6 (SD) cm/yr bone age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)