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Body composition and spontaneous growth hormone secretion in normal short stature children
J E Abdenur1, C V Solans, M M Smith
1Department of Pediatrics, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York 11219.
Insights
Adiposity significantly impacts spontaneous growth hormone secretion (SGHS) in children with short stature. Measured body fat indices showed the strongest negative correlation with SGHS, highlighting the importance of body composition in growth assessment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Human Growth and Development
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Spontaneous Growth Hormone Secretion (SGHS) is crucial for normal growth in children.
- Adiposity, or excess body fat, is increasingly recognized as a factor influencing endocrine function.
- Understanding the relationship between adiposity and SGHS is vital for accurate assessment of short stature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare measured and estimated adiposity indices in relation to SGHS in children with normal short stature.
- To investigate the influence of body composition and gender on SGHS.
- To determine how adiposity affects GH secretion patterns in different pubertal statuses.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 37 children with normal short stature (pubertal and prepubertal).
- Assessed body composition using anthropometry and bioelectric impedance (measured adiposity: % body fat, body fat mass index).
- Calculated estimated adiposity indices (weight-for-height ratio, BMI, BMI z-scores).
- Evaluated spontaneous GH secretion (SGHS) in relation to adiposity measures.
Main Results:
- SGHS is significantly influenced by adiposity variations in short stature children.
- Measured adiposity indices demonstrated a stronger negative correlation with SGHS than estimated indices.
- Gender differences were observed in how adiposity modifies SGHS.
- Adiposity altered GH pulse amplitude in pubertal children and pulse frequency in prepubertal children.
Conclusions:
- Body composition and gender are critical factors in interpreting SGHS in short stature children.
- Measured adiposity provides a more robust correlation with SGHS than estimated measures.
- Clinical assessment of SGHS should incorporate detailed body composition analysis and consider gender and pubertal status.
Abstract:
This study was designed to compare the relationship of measured and estimated indices of adiposity with the spontaneous GH secretion (SGHS) in 37 normal short stature children. Fifteen of the 37 patients (10 males and 5 females) were pubertal, and 22 (17 males and 5 females) were prepubertal. All patients underwent a review of their medical history, a physical exam, laboratory tests, and a nutritional assessment that included anthropometry and evaluation of body composition by bioelectric impedance. The percentage of body fat and body fat mass index were used as measured indices of adiposity. The weight for height ratio, body mass index, and body mass index z-scores were calculated and used as estimated indices of adiposity. Our results showed that SGHS is greatly influenced by variations in adiposity in normal short stature children, and measured indices of adiposity demonstrated the strongest negative correlation with SGHS. Gender differences were apparent in the degree of adiposity that modified SGHS, and it appears that adiposity altered the amplitude of GH pulses in pubertal patients and the number of pulses in prepubertal children. These results suggest that interpretation of SGHS must take into account body composition and gender in addition to pubertal status.