Kim Yoo-Mi, Oh Ah-Reum, Han Heon-Seok, Yu Jeesuk, Yu Jaehong, Lee Tae Kwan, Lee Gyung Min, Choe Jaewon, Oh Jun Suk, Lim Han Hyuk
Endocr Connect. 2025 Aug 7;14(8). doi: 10.1530/EC-25-0218. Print 2025 Aug 1.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected global healthcare and raised concerns about growth hormone (GH) therapy outcomes in pediatric patients with short stature. This study compared GH therapy efficacy and outcomes before and during the pandemic. We retrospectively analyzed 2,827 pediatric patients with idiopathic GH deficiency, short stature in children born small for gestational age (SGA), Turner syndrome (TS), or idiopathic short stature (ISS) from the LG Growth Study, categorized into pre-pandemic (February 2017-January 2020, n = 1,612) and pandemic (February 2020-January 2023, n = 1,215) groups. The key outcomes included height standard deviation score (SDS), body mass index (BMI)-SDS, insulin-like growth factor 1 levels, and adverse events. Significant differences were observed between groups. During the pandemic, the proportion of SGA and TS decreased, whereas that of ISS increased. IGF-1 and total cholesterol levels were higher in the early treatment phase of the pandemic but tended to normalize over time. Reported adverse events were markedly lower during the pandemic, particularly infectious and systemic complications. GH therapy remained effective during the pandemic despite healthcare disruptions. Pandemic-related shifts in BMI, IGF-1, and adverse event reports suggest environmental influences on treatment patterns. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring chronic pediatric care under changing public health conditions.
冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行影响了全球医疗保健，并引发了对身材矮小的儿科患者生长激素（GH）治疗结果的担忧。本研究比较了大流行之前和期间GH治疗的疗效和结果。我们对LG生长研究中2827例患有特发性生长激素缺乏症、小于胎龄儿（SGA）出生的儿童身材矮小、特纳综合征（TS）或特发性身材矮小（ISS）的儿科患者进行了回顾性分析，分为大流行前（2017年2月至2020年1月，n = 1612）和大流行期间（2020年2月至2023年1月，n = 1215）两组。关键结果包括身高标准差评分（SDS）、体重指数（BMI）-SDS、胰岛素样生长因子1水平和不良事件。两组之间观察到显著差异。在大流行期间，SGA和TS的比例下降，而ISS的比例增加。大流行早期治疗阶段的IGF-1和总胆固醇水平较高，但随着时间的推移趋于正常。大流行期间报告的不良事件明显较少，尤其是感染性和全身性并发症。尽管医疗保健受到干扰，但大流行期间GH治疗仍然有效。与大流行相关的BMI、IGF-1和不良事件报告的变化表明环境对治疗模式有影响。这些发现强调了在不断变化的公共卫生条件下监测儿科慢性病护理的重要性。
