A Controlled Trial of Methionyl Growth Hormone Therapy in Prepubertal Children with Short Stature, Subnormal Growth Rate and Normal Growth Hormone Response to Secretagogues

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Abstract
Thirty short and slowly growing children with normal plasma growth hormone (GH) responses to standard provocation tests were randomly assigned to either a group (n= 20) undergoing treatment with methionyl GH (somatrem), 2IU per m2 body surface s.c. daily, or a control group (n= 10). Twelve out of 18 children who completed the first year of treatment showed a height velocity increment of more than 2 cm/year. The mean (SD) growth velocity of the treatment group increased by 3.0 (1.9) cm/year over the first year, compared with ‐0.2 (0.7) cm/year in the control group. Neither parameters of endogenous GH secretion nor plasma IGF‐I levels showed a significant correlation with the growth response. Of the auxological variables studied, pre‐treatment growth velocity (r= 0.8) and the short‐term height velocity increment (r= 0.7–0.9) showed significant correlations with the growth response in the first year of treatment. Somatrem therapy was without side effects, except in one child who developed anti‐GH antibodies in combination with a poor growth response.