Short and long-term effects of growth hormone treatment on lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein levels in short normal children.

Since recombinant growth hormone (GH) has been available, its use has been extended to treating not only children with growth hormone deficiency, but also short-statured children without GH deficiency. It is interesting, therefore, to determine whether GH therapy given in conventional doses causes metabolic side effects in these patients. In the present study we have examined the effect of recombinant human GH on eleven short normal children. Patients received 12 U/m2/week for 1 year. Before beginning treatment, the children had a mean annual growth velocity of 5.1 +/- 0.9 cm/yr; during the year of treatment, the therapy was effective and improved the mean growth velocity to 7.1 +/- 1.7 cm/yr, p < 0.05. We evaluated the subacute short-term effects during the first 15 days of treatment and the long-term effects for one year of GH treatment on lipid and lipoprotein levels. We found a significant increase in total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at the 6th month. Triglycerides (TG) increased significantly at the 3rd and 6th month. Both TC and TG returned to baseline at the 12th month. In no case however did the levels of TC, LDL-C and TG go above normal nor were there any changes in the following tests: high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein (Apo) A-I, Apo B, Apo C-II, Apo C-III and Apo E. In conclusion, conventional doses of GH given to short normal children are effective in ameliorating growth velocity and do not cause serious metabolic side effects.