Effect of administered human growth hormone on growth retardation in inflammatory bowel disease

Crohn's Disease Associated with Growth Hormone Secretory Dysfunction.

“…In contrast to the findings ofMcCaffery et al (15), the present patient showed a marked increase in height following rhGH therapy, which ceased when the therapy was discontinued. This outcome suggests that the "catch-up growth" observed after rhGHadministration in this patient is attributable not only to improved nutrition but also to improved GHsecretion.…”

“…Some reports contradict the theory that endocrine function related to GHsecretion is impaired in the presence of Crohn's disease; normal GHsecretion has been reported in Crohn's disease patients (13,14). One study reported that rhGH therapy had no marked effects on GHsecretion in Crohn's disease patients (15), which contrasted with the findings of Green et al (16) that the secretion of GHand gonadotropin was somewhatabnormal during relapses of Crohn's disease but was normalized during remission, as in the present case. Someinvestigators attributed the short stature of Crohn's disease patients to a malnutritioninduced decrease in somatomedin production by the liver (6, 1 1, 17).…”

Insulin like growth factor-I, insulin like growth factor binding protein-1, and insulin in childhood Crohn's disease.

“…The median increase in the steroid treated group (0-41 U/ml) was significantly greater (p<005) than in the elemental diet group (0-1 U/ml). In the steroid treated group, median fasting serum concentrations of insulin increased by 3 Increased disease activity occurred in six patients from the steroid group and in three from the elemental diet group before six months had elapsed. As they were allocated to the alternative treatment group their height velocities were not included in the analyses.…”

“…There was a normal serum growth hormone response in 10 children with Crohn's disease and normal growth2 but no obvious improvement in growth in three patients with growth failure treated with growth hormone. 3 The authors suggested that this might represent end organ resistance to growth hormone. Gothin et al, studying six adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and growth failure (three with Crohn's disease and three with ulcerative colitis), showed a normal sleep related serum growth hormone response in all six but a blunted response to arginine in one patient and to insulin in three patients.…”

Crohn's disease in childhood.

“…The site of disease involvement is irrelevant as growth stunting is seen with equal frequency in Crohn's disease whether the small bowel or large bowel is affected (Farmer et al, 1975). McCaffery and colleagues (1970) showed that 11 of 13 patients with inflammatory bowel disease and growth retardation had inadequate growth hormone responses to a hypoglycaemic stimulus but a further study by the same group (McCaffery et al, 1974) showed no benefit to such children from the administration of human growth hormone.…”