Therapeutic effect of recombinant human growth hormone on the growth hormone deficiency in children with different bone age

Objective The effectiveness of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in the treatment of dwarf disease has been widely verified. The bone age, treatment course and dose can affect the therapeutic effect of rhGH. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of rhGH on children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and to observe the effect of bone age at the beginning of treatment on the efficacy of rhGH. Methods Total 42 cases of prepubertal GHD children admitted to Department of Pediatrics of Anhui Provincial Hospital from August 2012 to August 2017 were divided into two groups according to bone age, 23 cases of bone age<8 years old (<8 y group) and 19 cases of bone age older than or equal to 8 years old (≥8 y group). They accepted 6-month treatment of rhGH (0.1 IU·kg^-1·d^-1). The height, growth velocity (GV), height-standard deviation score (HtSDS) were compared before and after the treatment. △GV and △HtSDS were compared between the two groups after the therapy. The paired t test was used to compare the difference between the two groups before and after the treatment. The independent sample t test was used in the comparison between the two groups, and the correlation analysis between the two variables was performed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results After 6 months of treatment, the height, GV, HtSDS were improved in both groups (P<0.05). The △GV and △HtSDS in the <8 y group were (6.17±1.44) cm/y and 0.50±0.13, while in ≥8 y group were (5.28±0.69)cm/y and 0.23±0.17, respectively. There were significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). Meanwhile, △GV and △HtSDS were negatively related with the chronological age and bone age at the beginning of treatment. Conclusion The effect of rhGH on GHD is certain, furthermore, the smaller the bone age at the beginning of treatment, the better the effect.