Effects of growth hormone treatment on anthropometrics, metabolic risk, and body composition variables in small for gestational age patients

Abstract Introduction and objectives Small for gestational age (SGA) children without catch-up growth can benefit from treatment with growth hormone (rhGH). However, they should be monitored very closely because they are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Material and method A group of 28 SGA children with a mean age of 8.79 years and undergoing treatment with rhGH were selected for evaluation. Over the course of 4 years, an annual evaluation was performed on the anthropometric variables (weight, height, body mass index [BMI], growth rate, blood pressure and waist perimeter), metabolic risk variables (glycaemia, glycosylated haemoglobin, cholesterol ratio, insulinaemia, insulin-like growth factor 1[IGF1], IGF binding protein-3 [IGFBP-3], IGF1/IGFBP3 ratio, and HOMA index), and body composition variables. Results Treatment with rhGH was associated with a significant increase in height (−2.76 ± .11 SD to −1.53 ± .17 SD, P  = .000), weight (−1.50 ± .09 SD to −1.21 ± .13 SD; P  = .016), and growth rate (−1.43 ± .35 SD to .41 ± .41 SD; P  = .009), without a corresponding change in the BMI. Insulinaemia (9.33 ± 1.93 mU/ml to 16.55 ± 1.72 mU/ml; P  = .044) and the HOMA index (3.63 ± .76 to 6.43 ± .67; P  = .042) increased, approaching insulin resistance levels. No changes were observed in the lipid profile. Body composition changes were observed, with a significant increase in lean mass (73.19 ± 1.26 to 78.74 ± 1.31; P  = .037), and a reduction of fat mass (26.81 ± 1.26 to 21.26 ± 1.31; P  = .021). Conclusion Treatment with rhGH is effective for improving anthropometric variables in SGA patients who have not experienced a catch-up growth. It also produces changes in body composition, which may lead to a reduction in risk of metabolic syndrome. However, some insulin resistance was observed. It is important to follow up this patient group in order to find out whether these changes persist into adulthood.