An examination of the effects of different doses of recombinant human growth hormone on children with growth hormone deficiency

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of different doses of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and on thyroid and glucose metabolism to identify more reasonable therapeutic doses of growth hormone (GH) for the treatment of this condition. In total, 60 prepubertal patients with GHD were randomly divided into the high-dose and low-dose groups (n=30 per group). The groups were treated with 0.1 or 0.05 U/kg for 6 months, respectively. The follow-up study focused on changes to the serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3, blood glucose, thyroid hormone [triiodothyronine (T3) and its prohormone, thyroxine (T4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)] and the analysis of variance of the repeated data. Changes in the height, body weight and bone age of the high-dose group were greater than those of the low-dose group. After 6 months of treatment, the difference in height between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Glucose metabolism in the two groups was consistent, but there was a statistically significant difference in the fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels of the two groups after 6 months of treatment (P<0.05). Prior to treatment, the T3, T4 and TSH values (the thyroid function tests) in the two groups, especially for the value of T3 in high-dose group were varied. However, 6 months after treatment, statistically significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05) were identified. In conclusion, 0.1 U/kg of GH is beneficial to children with GHD in attaining a satisfactory height, but it leads to insulin resistance. Thus, glucose metabolism and thyroid function should be monitored on a regular basis in a clinical setting.