31 prepubertal children with short stature [mean height standard deviation score (SDS) -2.84] and low birth weight (mean -2.82 SDS) were studied. Mean age was 6.0 years and mean height velocity SDS was -0.76. Patients were classified as having either the clinical characteristics of Russell-Silver syndrome (RSS) (4 F, 13 M) or not (4 F, 10 M). All children had an overnight profile of spontaneous growth hormone (GH) secretion. 4 children achieved a maximum GH concentration of less than 20 mU/1. 9 children with RSS secreted only one large GH peak during the night. Most of the non-RSS group had normal GH pulse frequency but 3 boys had a fast-frequency pattern. Abnormal GH secretion may contribute towards growth failure in children with low birth weight/RSS.

No abstract

D e l a y e d p u b e r t y , o f t e n a s s o c i a t e d w i t h s h o r t s t a t u r e i s a common p r o b l e m i n t h e p a e d i a t r i c c l i n i c . T h e s e b o y s ' r e t a r d e d g r o w t h a n d s e x u a l d e v e l o p m e n t c a u s e s c o n s i d e r a b l e d i s t r e s s d u r i n g a d o l e s c e n c e . 8 e c a u s e t e s t o s t e r o n e i s w i d e l y b e l i e v e d t o a c c e l e r a t e b o n e m a t u r a t i o n d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y a n d t t u s r e d u c e f i n a l h e i g h t t h i s t r e a t m e n t i s o f t e n w i t h h e l d .3 6 b o y s , a g e d 1 2 . 0 -1 7 . 7 ( m e a n 1 4 . 8 ) y r s , w e r e t r e a t e d w i t h t e s t o s t e r o n e o e n a n t h a t e 125mg i n t r a m u s c u l a r l y f o r 3 m o n t h s . T h e y w e r e s e e n h a l f y e a r l y a n d h e i g h t s ( H a r p e n d e n s t a d i o m e t e r ) , s k e l e t a l m a t u r a t i o n ( T a n n e r RUS (TWZ)) a n d p u b e r t a l s t a t u s (Tariner a n d W h i t e h o u s e ) w e r e m e a s u r e d .A t 6 m o n t h s t h e r e w a s a d i s t i n c t a d v a n c e i n p u b e r t d s t a t u s a n d a n i n c r e a s e i n h e i g h t v e l o c i t y f r o m 4 . 4 t o g . B c m / y e a r . T h e b o y s ' m o r a l e a n d c o n f i d e n c e i n c r e a s e d i m p r e s s i v e l y . l J o s e r i o u s s i d ee f f e c t s w e r e s e e n . l h e e f f e c t s o f t r e a t m e n t o n h e i g h t p r e d i c t i o n a n d h e i g h t s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n s c o r e f o r b o n e a g e a r e s h o w n b e l o w : B a s e l i n e . 5 y r 1 y r 1 . 5 -2 y r H t SDS BA -. 9 1 -. l . l B Y * -1 . 0 2 " -1 . 0 9 H t P r e d 1 6 6 . 7 1 6 6 . 5 * 1 6 7 . 3 ' 1 6 7 . 6 No.3 6 3 0 1 8 8 " = 0 5 * -NS COmpdred w i t h b p s e l i n e ~r e a f m e n t w i t h t e s t o s t e r o n e e f f e c t l v c l y a l l e v i a t~s t h e m a i n p r o b l e m s o f d e l a y e d p u b e r t y a n d o u r d a t a s u g g e s t t h a t a t t h i s d o s a g e i t h a s n o s i g n i f i c a n t e f f e c t o n f i n a l h e i g h t . GH s e c r e t J o n ( a r g i r r l n e , GRf a i d d u r~~i g t h e f i r s t 9 0 m l n s o f s l c c p )w a s a s s c s s c d a t e r 1 t . r~ a n d 6 m o n t h s 111 p r c p u b c r t a 1 c o o t r o l l ; , a t i d a l e n t r y , 3 a n d 6 niont.hs l r i t r e a t . e d b o y s . No c h a~i g c i r i p e a k GH rosp o r i s e or "areas u n d e r c u r v e " (AUC) w e r e s e e n I n t h e p r e p u b e r t a l g r o u p s . At 3 a i d 6 mont.hs, t r e a t e d p u b e r t a l b o y s h a d s l g n l f l c a r i t l y g r e a t e r AUC a n d GH p e a k s d u r l n g s l e e p t h a n t.he p r e p u b e r t a l , assocl a t e d at 6 m o r~t h s w1t.h l r i c r e a s e s I n b a s a l i e s t o s t c r o r i c ( 3 . 7 n n l o l / l a t e n t r y t o 1 8 . 2 n m o l / l , p < 0 . 0 1 ) arid sonlat oniedin-C ( 140 t o 2 14ri(]/n1l, p < O . 0 5 ) . T h e s e c h a n g e s w e r e n o t see11 I n t h e p r c p u b c r l a l b o y s . Ox d...