Growth hormone treatment in Turner's syndrome

A total of 21 patients with Turner's syndrome were treated with pituitary hGH and/or somatrem for 1-2 years. Plasma non-esterified fatty acid increased significantly from 0.52 +/- 0.06 to 1.30 +/- 0.09 mEq/litre at 4 hours after injection of hGH, 4 IU (mean +/- SEM, p less than 0.001). Basal plasma IGF-1 levels were within the normal range; however, they increased significantly at 24 hours after the first three daily injections of hGH, 4 IU (basal, 0.92 +/- 0.14 units/ml; 24 hours, 1.39 +/- 0.16 units/ml; 48 hours, 1.68 +/- 0.19 units/ml; 72 hours, 1.91 +/- 0.22 units/ml; p less than 0.001). For long-term treatment, patients were given hGH, 4-16 IU for 1-2 years. Their height velocity increased to 5.5 +/- 1.2 cm/year and 5.1 +/- 0.6 cm/year in the first and second year of the treatment, respectively. These values were greater than the pretreatment value of 3.6 +/- 0.8 cm/year (p less than 0.001). Antibody against hGH was observed in 60% of the patients at the end of 12 months of somatrem treatment. Otherwise there were no significant changes in physical, blood or urine examinations. These results indicate that hGH treatment is useful for the acceleration of growth velocity in patients with Turner's syndrome.