Accelerated Growth Following Treatment of Children with Chronic Renal Failure with Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (Somatrem): a Preliminary Report

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Abstract
Five male children with chronic renal failure (CRF) and growth retardation were treated with recombinant human GH (somatrem) three times weekly for 6 months. The patients ranged in age from 35 to 91 months and had a mean SD score for height of -3.03 ± 1.0 at initiation of therapy. Their mean pretreatment height velocity was 4.94 ± 1.40 cm/year for the year prior to somatrem treatment. Following 6 months of treatment all children had a significant increase in annual height velocity, with the mean annual value for the group being 10.08 ± 1.97 cm/year (p <0.01). Glucose tolerance was monitored and was not significantly affected nor were there any other complications of note. These data indicate that somatrem can produce short-term accelerated height velocity in the child with growth retardation associated with CRF, The long-term benefits of therapy in this group of children is under investigation.