Does growth hormone treatment of patients with Turner's syndrome cause an abnormal body shape?

Acta Paediatr. 1992 Sep;81(9):691-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1992.tb12335.x.

Abstract

The effect of human growth hormone on the body shape of 51 patients with Turner's syndrome (aged 6-19 years) was evaluated. Biosynthetic growth hormone was given in a dose of 24 IU/m2 body surface/week for two years. Karyotype analysis on peripheral blood was performed. Patients older than 12 years also received 0.1 microgram ethinyl oestradiol/kg body weight/day orally. Body shape was characterized by studying pairs of measurements expressed as SD scores (z scores). As reference data, our own locally obtained data from normal children were used. After two years of growth hormone therapy, height, sitting height, bi-acromial and bi-iliac diameter increased from -3.7, -2.9, -1.7 and -1.2 to -1.3, -2.5, -0.6 and +0.5 z scores, respectively. The shape of the patients, expressed as height/bi-iliac diameter and also as sitting height/bi-iliac diameter became more abnormal. As no difference could be noted between the prepubertal and pubertal groups or between the XO and mosaic groups, it is suggested that growth hormone treatment causes a relatively wide pelvis in patients with Turner's syndrome.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Anthropometry
  • Body Constitution*
  • Body Height
  • Child
  • Ethinyl Estradiol / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Growth Hormone / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Leg / growth & development
  • Turner Syndrome / drug therapy*
  • Turner Syndrome / physiopathology

Substances

  • Ethinyl Estradiol
  • Growth Hormone