Growth response in the first year of growth hormone treatment in prepubertal children with organic growth hormone deficiency: a comparison with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. The Executive Scientific Committee of the Kabi International Growth Study.

Patients in the Kabi International Growth Study (KIGS) up to 1st January 1990 who had organic growth hormone deficiency (OGHD) were identified. They accounted for 21% of all patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Diagnostic categories within the OGHD group included septo-optic dysplasia, postnatal trauma, craniopharyngioma, other cranial tumours, and following acute leukaemia. Features at presentation and during the first year of hGH treatment were compared with those of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (IGHD). Ninety prepubertal children with OGHD were selected for comparison of observed first-year height velocity (HV) with predicted values based on those observed in 257 children with IGHD. Those with septo-optic dysplasia, postnatal trauma and craniopharyngioma responded as predicted, whereas those with other cranial tumours appeared to grow less well than predicted. Glucocorticoid treatment did not affect response, but previous cranial or craniospinal irradiation was found to be associated with an observed HV which was significantly less than predicted.