Adult height after long-term, continuous growth hormone (GH) treatment in short children born small for gestational age: results of a randomized, double-blind, dose-response GH trial.

The GH dose-response effect of long-term continuous GH treatment on adult height (AH) was evaluated in 54 short children born small for gestational age (SGA) who were participating in a randomized, double-blind, dose-response trial. Patients were randomly and blindly assigned to treatment with either 3 IU (group A) or 6 IU (group B) GH/m2·d (∼0.033 or 0.067 mg/kg·d, respectively). The mean (±sd) birth length was −3.6 (1.4), the age at the start of the study was 8.1 (1.9) yr, and the height sd score (SDS) at the start of the study −3.0 (0.7). Seventeen of the 54 children were partially GH deficient (stimulated GH peak, 10–20 mU/liter). Fifteen non-GH-treated, non-GH-deficient, short children born SGA, with similar inclusion criteria, served as controls [mean (±sd) birth length, −3.3 (1.2); age at start, 7.8 (1.7) yr; height SDS at start, −2.6 (0.5)]. GH treatment resulted in an AH above −2 SDS in 85% of the children after a mean (±sd) GH treatment period of 7.8 (1.7) yr. The mean (sd) AH SDS was −1.1 (0.7)...