[Delay of constitutional development--studies on therapy with growth hormone]

Human growth hormone was given to 6 boys with constitutional delay of growth and development. Three patients had normal growth hormone responses following exercise or insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Subnormal growth rate (less than 2 SD below normal for bone age) was found in 4 patients. The mean growth rate of the patients treated with 12 U hGH/m2 per week increased from 4.6 to 5.1 cm/year which is not significant. Only 2 boys responded with an increment of the growth rate of more than 1 cm/year. In an age-matched control group with the same growth variation the growth rate was 4.9 and 5.0 cm/year during the same time periods. It can not be recommended to treat patients with constitutional delay of growth and development with hGH except those with severely depressed growth rate and subnormal spontaneous growth hormone secretion during sleep.