Effect of 10-Day Courses of Human Growth Hormone on Height of Short Children*

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Abstract
Preliminary experiments showed that a 10-day course of 0.0532, 0.168, or 0.532 U human growth hormone (hGH)⁄kg BW3⁄4⁄day (dose B, C,or D,respectively) in GH-deficient children caused N retention during the period of treatment, and 1.5- to 9-fold acceleration in growth rate during the following 8 weeks. This study aimed to define therelations between dose of hGH administered for 10 days, degree of N retention during the 10 days of treatment, and increment in height during the next 8 weeks. N retention was quantified asΔN (average daily N balance (grams) during 10 days of hGH treatment minus average daily balance during the 7 preceding days) per kg BW3⁄4 × 10’1. Increment in height, ΔH, was defined as: (increase in height (centimeters) during 8 weeks after hGH treatment) minusVz (increase in height during 8 weeks before hGH treatment plus increase in heightduring weeks 8–16 after hGH). ΔN and ΔH in response to dose B, C, and D administered at 4-month intervals was measured in each of 25 GH-deficient children(age 7–21) and in each of six girls with X,0 Turner’s syndrome(age 11–18), all of whom were growing ≤ 0.2 cm⁄month before treatment. In the GH-deficient group, doses B, C, and D caused average ΔH 0.2, 1.0 and 1.6 cm; andaverage ΔN 0.6, 1.3 and 1.7 g N⁄kg BW3⁄4× 10−1day. In the Turner's group, the corresponding values for ΔH were 0, 0.2, and0.5 and for ΔN, 0.03, 0.2, and 0.6. Statistical analysis in the GH-deficient group showed the following correlations to be significant (P< 0.05): ΔH was directly proportional to dose, and inversely proportional to chronologic age, bone age and height; ΔN was also directly proportionalto dose. ΔN, however, was not significantly correlated either with ΔH, age (either chronologic or skeletal), or height. At each dose of hGH, both ΔH and ΔN were significantly less in the Turner's group thanin the GH-deficient group. In the Turner's group, both AH and AN were proportional to dose of hGH.