J Korean Soc Pediatr Endocrinol.  2008 Jun;13(1):94-99.

The Effect of Growth Hormone Therapy on Bone Mineral Density in Young Adults with Childhood-onset Growth Hormone Deficiency

• Cho KS
• Kim HG
• Jung MH
• Suh BK
• Lee BC

Abstract

PURPOSE: Growth hormone (GH) has multiple beneficial effects in addition to its promotion of linear growth. Therefore adults with GH deficiency (GHD) have abnormal body composition, altered lipid metabolism, increased cardiovascular disease, and decreased bone mineral density (BMD). We evaluated the effect of GH therapy on BMD in young adults with childhood-onset GHD.
METHODS
17 childhood-onset GHD adults (10 male, 7 female, mean age 24.5+/-5.5 yr) with or without continuous GH treatment after final height were studied. All subjects divided two groups; GH-treated group (n=6) and GH-untreated group (n=11). BMD in lumbar spine and proximal femur was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.
RESULTS
The mean serum level of IGF-I concentration in the GH-untreated group was lower than in the GH-treated group (88.4+/-55.9 ng/mL vs. 358.7+/-196.8 ng/mL, P<0.05). The BMD of lumbar spine in the GH-treated group and GH-untreated group was 1.02+/-0.13 g/cm2 and 0.82+/-0.09 g/cm2 and the BMD of femur was 1.15+/-0.14 g/cm2 and 0.82+/-0.10 g/cm2 respectively. The BMD of the GH-treated group was significantly higher than the GH-untreated group (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
These findings support the need of continuous GH treatment after completion of growth and careful evaluation of BMD in adult patients with childhood-onset GHD.

Keyword

Growth hormone deficiency; Growth hormone; Bone density

MeSH Terms

Absorptiometry, Photon
Adult
Body Composition
Bone Density
Cardiovascular Diseases
Female
Femur
Growth Hormone
Humans
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
Lipid Metabolism
Male
Spine
Young Adult
Growth Hormone
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I