Growth Hormone being very expensive in India data on use of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) is scarce. The authors studied the effect and safety of one year of therapy with rhGH on growth velocity and predicted final height in Indian patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). A multicentric, prospective, open trial with rhGH was performed on 15 patients. Patients received rhGH in a dose of 0.7 IU (0.23 mg)/Kg/week. The mean pretreatment height was 111.2 cms {SD 12.4}, height velocity was 3.1 cms per year {1.2} and predicted height was 146.5 cms {10.4} at a mean age of 12.0 (2.8). At the end of therapy mean height was 123.4 {11.9}, height velocity was 12.1 cms per year {2.8} and the predicted height was 153.0 cm {9.4}. The increase in predicted height was thus 6.5 cm (4.2). The increment in height velocity with growth hormone therapy was statistically significant (p value= 0.001). The present study shows that children with growth hormone deficiency in India also benefit from therapy with rhGH even when treatment is started late as compared to the published Western data and there is a potential for increased final height.
This study aimed to test the hypothesis that correlation between target height and children's height may be less in Indian lower socioeconomic class (LSC) than in the upper socioeconomic class (USC). Three hundred and fortysix children from USC private schools and 359 children from LSC public schools were measured. Measured heights of LSC parents and reported heights of USC parents were used. Target height was calculated for both groups.
The correlation between children's height and target height was significantly stronger in the USC (0.44) as compared to the LSC (0.31). Our study showed that the correlation between target height and child's height was weaker inthe LSC and thus may need more cautious interpretation. KEY WORDS growth, target height, socio-economic class 14. Amigo H, Erazo M, Bustos P. Stature of Chilean parents and children of different ethnicity and social vulnerability. Salud Publica Mex 2000; 42: 504-510. 15. Galton F. Regression towards mediocrity in hereditary stature.
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