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Turner's syndrome associated with growth hormone deficiency
Insights
Growth hormone deficiency is common in children with Turner
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Genetics and Genetic Diseases
Background:
- Turner's syndrome is a genetic condition affecting females.
- Growth hormone (GH) therapy is a potential treatment for short stature in Turner's syndrome.
Observation:
- Investigated 11 children with Turner's syndrome for growth hormone deficiency.
- Assessed GH response using insulin tolerance testing (ITT).
Findings:
- Four out of ten children with adequate testing showed inadequate GH response.
- This prevalence of GH deficiency is higher than previously reported in Turner's syndrome.
- Higher than the 1 in 15 rate observed in the general population.
Implications:
- Results suggest a higher incidence of GH deficiency in Turner's syndrome.
- May warrant routine screening for GH deficiency in these patients.
- Potential impact on treatment strategies and outcomes for children with Turner's syndrome.
Abstract:
11 out of the 13 children with Turner's syndrome currently attending our endocrine clinic were investigated for possible growth hormone deficiency. The parents of two of the 13 children refused permission for these studies. One child had inadequate hypoglycaemia and the test was not repeated. Six of the ten children with adequate hypoglycaemia had an adequate growth hormone response to hypoglycaemia, while 4 children did not. This contradicts several previous studies on children with Turner's syndrome, which have reported normal growth hormone responses to provocative tests. In the normal population approximately one in 15 has an inadequate growth hormone response to hypoglycaemia.