Treatment with a Luteinizing Hormone–Releasing Hormone Agonist in Adolescents with Short Stature

Background Treatment with a luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist increases adult height in children with LHRH-dependent precocious puberty and is prescribed by some practitioners to augment height in short adolescents. We performed a randomized clinical trial to determine whether treatment with an LHRH agonist increases adult height in short adolescents with normally timed puberty. Methods Fifty short adolescents (18 boys and 32 girls) with low predicted adult height (mean [±SD], 3.3±1.2 SD below the population mean) received either placebo (24 subjects) or an LHRH agonist (26 subjects). The mean (±SD) duration of treatment was 3.5±0.9 years in the LHRH-agonist group and 2.1±1.2 years in the placebo group (P<0.001). Adult height was measured when bone age exceeded 16 years in girls and 17 years in boys and when the rate of growth was less than 1.5 cm per year. Results Forty-seven adolescents (94 percent) were followed until they attained adult height. At the time adult height was achieved,...