High-dose recombinant human growth hormone treatment promotes growth in children with GHD

High-dose recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment is both safe and effective in promoting the growth and development of children with growth hormone deficiency, according to a study that found the high-dose regimen more significantly upregulate IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and GH levels, leading to notable improvements in height, weight, height standard deviation (HtSDS), and growth rate.

This study retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 174 patients with GHD who were admitted to the hospital between June 2019 and January 2022. Out of these, 136 patients met the inclusion criteria, with 70 of them receiving a low dose of 0.1 U/(kg·d) of rhGH (low-dose group) and 66 receiving a higher dose of 0.2 U/(kg·d) (high-dose group).

After 1 year of treatment, both groups experienced an increase in height, weight, HtSDS, and growth rate compared to their pre-treatment baseline values. However, the high-dose group showed significantly higher improvements in these parameters compared to the low-dose group. Furthermore, bone age was observed to increase in both groups, with the high-dose group demonstrating a more pronounced increase than the low-dose group. While the speed of sound of both groups decreased, it was still significantly higher in the high-dose group.

In terms of biochemical indicators, the study found that serum levels insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3), and growth hormone (GH)  increased in both groups compared to their baseline values. The high-dose group displayed higher levels of these indicators compared to the low-dose group.

The researchers found that the high-dose rhGH treatment was safe, with no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the high-dose group (8.6%) and the low-dose group (6.1%) (p>0.05).

Reference
Yang T, Zha W, Liang X, et al. Effect of different doses of recombinant human growth hormone therapy on children with growth hormone deficiency: a retrospective observational study. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023;27(13):6162-6169. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202307_32972. PMID: 37458672.