CONCLUSIONS Growth hormone therapy in children with idiopathic short stature seems to be effective in partially reducing the deficit in height as adults , although the magnitude of effectiveness is on average less than that achieved in other conditions for which growth hormone is licensed .
OBJECTIVE To systematic ally determine the impact of growth hormone therapy on adult height of children with idiopathic short stature .
Comparison of final heights of growth hormone-treated vs. untreated children with idiopathic growth failure.
We measured adult heights ( Ht ) of 94 healthy GH-sufficient children ( peak GH > 10 ng/mL , polyclonal RIA ) whose Ht at presentation were more than 2 SD below the mean for chronological age , with normal weight-to-Ht ratios , normal body proportions , and pathologic growth velocity for chronological age . Group 1 ( n 36 , 6 females ) received st and ardized doses ( 0.3 mg/kg x week ) of GH ( mean duration = 41 months ) , while group 2 ( n = 58 , 17 females )  received no treatment . Our conclusion was that the mean final Ht SD score in the GH-treated group ( -1.5 ) was significantly greater than in the untreated group ( -2.1 ) ; P < .001 . Genetic predisposition to short stature was evident in both groups : the midparental Ht SD score was -1.1 in the treated and -1.0 in the untreated group . Midparental Ht was met or exceeded by 42 % of the GH-treated group but only 15 % of the untreated group . Final Ht was not significantly different from predicted Ht , except from GH-treated girls , who exceeded their predicted Ht . Although the mean Ht gains ( 6.8 cm in girls and 3 cm in boys ) were modest and variable , GH treatment provided significantly better Ht outcomes for the majority of children with idiopathic growth failure
CONCLUSIONS Growth hormone therapy in children with idiopathic short stature seems to be effective in partially reducing the deficit in height as adults , although the magnitude of effectiveness is on average less than that achieved in other conditions for which growth hormone is licensed .
OBJECTIVE To systematic ally determine the impact of growth hormone therapy on adult height of children with idiopathic short stature .