Adult height in 24 patients treated for growth hormone deficiency and early puberty.

This study evaluates the capacity of treatment with the combination of growth hormone (GH) and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analog to preserve the height potential of 24 patients (15 girls, 9 boys) with GH deficiency and early puberty (onset at 7.8 +/- 0.5 SE yr in girls and 9.0 +/- 0.7 yr in boys). All but 4 were given cranial irradiation. They (group 1) were compared with 17 patients of normal pubertal age treated with GH for cranial irradiation-induced GH deficiency (group 2) and with 19 girls treated with GnRH analog for idiopathic central precocious puberty (group 3). The adult heights in groups 1, 2 and 3 were -0.5 +/- 0.2, -1.3 +/- 0.2, and -0.2 +/- 0.2 SD, significantly lower (P < 0.01) in group 2. They were lower than the target heights in groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.001), and similar in group 3. They were similar to the predicted heights at the onset of therapy (combined, GH, or GnRH analog therapy), except in group 3 (adult height > predicted height, P < 0.0001) In group 1, as in group 3, the differences between adult and predicted heights (1.1 +/- 1.3 and 6.5 +/- 1.4 cm respectively) correlated positively with the difference between bone and chronological ages (P < 0.05), negatively with the predicted height (P < 0.002), and positively with the difference between the target and predicted heights (P < 0.001) at the onset of therapy. In conclusion, treatment with the combination of GH and GnRH analog in patients with GH deficiency and early puberty leads to a normal adult height. This height is similar to the predicted height at the onset of therapy but lower than the target height.