TREATMENT WITH CLONIDINE IN SUBJECTS WITH CONSTITUTIONAL GROWTH DELAY |[lpar]|CGO|[rpar]|: A CONTROLLED DOUBLE-BLIND STUDY

In 1985, Pintor et al. reported that treatment with clonidine (CI), an α2-a-drenergic agonist, accelerates growth in children with growth disorders. In order to confirm or disprove this observation, we studied again the effect of Cl in subjects with constitutional growth delay by carrying out a controlled double-blind study. 10 prepubertal patients with chronological age between 7 4/12 and 11 7/12 years and with height < 3rd centile and with CGD were selected. Parents consented to the trial and the patients, after 6 months' obervation, were randomly and blindy allocated to Cl (n.5-group 1) or placebo (n.5-group 2) therapy. CI was administered at a dose of 0.100 mg.m2/die. After a weeks' treatment, a patient from group 2 withdrew from treatment due to sleepiness. The patients were measured 6 months before treatment, at the start, after 6 month of treatment and 6 month after the end of treatment. The height velocity of group 1 children was 4.14, 5.76 and 2.88 cm/year respectively before, during and after the 6 months of treatment, while in group 2 height velocity was respectively 4.70, 5.45 and 3.35 cm/year. The difference in height velocity before and during therapy is significant (p < 0.05) only in group 1. There is no difference in height velocity between the two groups before, during and after treatment. GH peak and area in the arginine test and SmC levels are similar in the two groups both be fore and after treatment. It may be concluded that further, wider double-blind studies are necessary to clarify and quantify the effect of Cl on growth.