Total pubertal growth in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with growth hormone: Analysis of a single center

Abstract Objectives Growth failure is a permanent sequelae in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The aim of the study was to compare pubertal growth in control and growth hormone (GH) treated JIA subjects. Design 64 children with JIA at a mean age of 10.38±2.80 years were enrolled and followed until final height (measured in standard deviation (SD) scores). 39 children (20m) received GH therapy and 24 (9m) served as controls. GH dose was 0.33mg/kg/week. Linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing total pubertal growth. Results Mean total pubertal growth was 21.1±1.3cm (mean±SD) in GH treated JIA patients and 13.8±1.5cm in controls. Final height was significantly higher with GH treatment (−1.67±1.20 SD) compared to controls (−3.20±1.84 SD). Linear regression model identified age at onset of puberty (s=−4.2,CI: −5.9, −2.6 in controls and s=−2.3,CI: −3.6, −1.1 in GH treated) as the main factor for total pubertal growth. Final height SDS was determined by the difference to target height at onset of puberty (s=−0.59;CI: −0.80, −0.37 in controls and s=−0.30,CI: −0.52, −0.08 in GH treated), age at onset of puberty (s=0.47;CI:0.02,0.93 in controls and 0.23;CI: −0.00,0.46 in GH treated) and height gain during puberty (s=0.13;CI:0.05,0.21 in controls and s=0.11;CI:0.07,0.16 in GH treated). Conclusion Total pubertal growth in JIA patients treated with GH was increased by a factor of 1.5 greater in comparison to controls leading to a significantly better final height. To maximize final height GH treatment should be initiated early to reduce the height deficit at onset of puberty.