Effects of insulin-like growth factor on linear growth, head circumference, and body fat in patients with Laron-type dwarfism.

Patients with Laron-type dwarfism are clinically indistinguishable from those with isolated growth hormone (GH) deficiency, yet have high circulating GH concentrations associated with an inability to generate endogenous insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). Biosynthetic IGF-I was administered subcutaneously once daily for 3 to 10 months to 5 children with Laron-type dwarfism aged 3.3 to 14.5 years. There was a rapid stimulation of linear growth in body limbs, with a striking increase in head circumference, increased body weight, and a reduction in subcutaneous fat. Administration of IGF-I to patients with Laron-type dwarfism seems to have a beneficial effect on growth similar to that observed with long-term administration of GH in children with GH deficiency.