Effect of different doses of recombinant human growth hormone therapy on children with growth hormone deficiency: a retrospective observational study

T. Yang, W. Zha, X. Liang, Q. Xu, T.-T. Guo, X. He, Y. Yuan, G. Zhang

Department of Children Healthcare, Anhui Children’s Hospital, Hefei City, Anhui province, China. anan12192022@163.com

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• Endocrinology
• Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of different doses of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment on children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Medical records of 174 GHD patients admitted to our hospital from June 2019 to January 2022 were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 136 patients met the inclusion criteria, of which 70 received 0.1 U/ (kg·d) (low-dose group) and 66 received 0.2 U/ (kg·d) dose of rhGH treatment (high-dose group). Growth and development status [height, weight, height standard deviation (HtSDS), growth rate], bone age, bone density, speed of sound (SOS) as distal radius bone mass, biochemical indicators of growth and development [insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3)], growth hormone (GH) levels and incidence of adverse reactions were collected and compared between the two groups before and after one year of the treatment.

RESULTS: After the treatment, height, weight, HtSDS, and growth rate of the two groups increased compared to before the treatment and were significantly higher in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group (p<0.05). After one year of treatment, the following observations were made: the bone age of the two groups increased compared to the baseline values and was higher in the high-dose group compared to the low-dose group (p<0.05). The SOS of the two groups decreased but was significantly higher in the high-dose group compared to the low-dose group (p<0.05). Serum levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and GH in both groups increased compared to the baseline values and were higher in the high-dose group than in the low-dose group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the high-dose group (8.6%) and the low-dose group (6.1%) (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: High-dose rhGH treatment for GHD is safe and can more effectively upregulate IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and GH, and promote the growth and development of children.

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