Comparison of human growth hormone levels in children with satisfactory and unsatisfactory growth
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Children with unsatisfactory growth show elevated serum human growth hormone (hGH) levels. Nutritional rehabilitation significantly lowers hGH, demonstrating an inverse relationship between body weight and hGH in pediatric growth studies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Human Growth and Development
Background:
- Childhood growth is a critical indicator of health.
- Human growth hormone (hGH) plays a vital role in growth regulation.
- Understanding factors affecting hGH levels is crucial for diagnosing growth disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare serum human growth hormone (hGH) levels in children with satisfactory versus unsatisfactory growth.
- To investigate the effect of nutritional rehabilitation on serum hGH levels in children with growth deficits.
- To explore the relationship between body weight and serum hGH levels in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study comparing serum hGH in children aged 1, 5, and 10 years with satisfactory (n=66) and unsatisfactory (n=73) growth.
- Intervention study involving nutritional rehabilitation for 4 months in 12 infants (12-13 months) with unsatisfactory growth.
- Monthly assessment of weight and serum hGH levels during the rehabilitation period.
Main Results:
- Children with satisfactory growth had serum hGH levels between 1.00-4.00 ng/ml.
- Significantly elevated serum hGH levels were observed in children with unsatisfactory growth across all age groups.
- Nutritional rehabilitation led to a decrease in serum hGH levels, normalizing within 3 months, and showed an inverse correlation with body weight.
Conclusions:
- Elevated serum hGH levels are indicative of unsatisfactory growth in children.
- Nutritional rehabilitation is effective in normalizing serum hGH levels and improving growth outcomes.
- Body weight is inversely related to serum hGH levels in children, highlighting the importance of nutritional status.
Abstract:
Sixty-six children with satisfactory growth and 73 with unsatisfactory growth (both sexes) from three different age groups (1 year, 5 years and 10 years) were included in this study. It was observed that the serum concentrations of human growth hormone (hGH) in children with satisfactory growth ranged from 1.00 to 4.00 ng/ml and never exceeded 4.00 ng/ml. In a comparative study there was a significant increase in serum hGH levels in subjects of all age groups who were not growing satisfactorily. Twelve children between 12 and 13 months of age with unsatisfactory growth were nutritionally rehabilitated for 4 months and the changes in weight and serum hGH levels were assessed monthly. The results indicated a definite fall of hGH level after rehabilitation and reached the normal level 3 months after rehabilitation. Moreover, an inverse relationship between body weight and serum hGH level was observed.