Abstract:
Full Title: Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I), IGF Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3) und Alkaline Phosphatase (AP) with organic growth hormone deficiency (GHD), intrauterine growth retardation and idiopathic short stature (ISS), before and during the therapy with growth hormone (GH)
In this study it was examined, to what extent with existing short stature the substitution with hGH affects the serum concentration of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and AP, whether the changes of the individual parameters correlate with the size growth and which diagnostic value these parameters take thereby. Altogether 70 patients (45 boys, 25 girls) at the age of 2 to 17 years were distributed on three groups: group 1: patients with short stature with organic GHD, treated with hGH = ~ 0,45 IU/kg/week (n=20); group 2: patients with short stature with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), Silver-Russell- or Noonan-syndrome, treated with hGH = ~ 0,80 IU/kg/week (n=20) and group 3: patients with ISS and patients with non-classifi- able short stature, treated with hGH = ~ 0,57 IU/kg/week (n=30). Growth hormone was administered in each case daily subcutaneously, the period of observation amounted to one year (70 patients) and three years (60 patients), respectively. Mean age at start of therapy: 8,7 years. The highest mean increase of the serum levels with regard to the examined parameters occurred in the first year of therapy, in particular during the first three months of therapy: IGF-I rose very significantly (p=0,003) in group 1, in the groups 2 and 3 highly significant (p<0,001) in each case, the increase of IGFBP-3 in the three groups was highly significant (p<0,001) in each case, that of AP in the groups 1 and 2 very signi- ficantly (p=0,003 and p=0,007, respectively) in each case, in group 3 highly significant (p<0,001). In the corresponding period, the height also increased in all three groups highly significantly (p<0,001). From the following table, besides the original data of the investigation sizes, the one and three-year increases in each group, expressed as the mean standard deviation score (SDS), are evident (∆SDS: difference of the average value-SDS after one year and after three years of therapy, respectively and at start of therapy). Significant differences with regard to the rise of the parameters in the direct comparison of the groups only arose in the first year in each case between the groups 1 and 3 concerning IGFBP-3 (p=0,03) and AP (p=0,02).
At start of therapy, the lower the serum levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were, the faster and more strongly carried out themselves their approximation to age- appropriate standard values under GH therapy with consecutive catch-up growth. This behavior can not be assigned onto the alkaline phosphatase. The results of this study cover the role of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and AP in the patient serum as indispensable indicators within the diagnostics and therapy of short stature.