Growth data on 100 patients with Turner syndrome are reported. Seventeen had spontaneous puberty. Between the ages 11 and 13 years, height and height velocity were higher in these girls than in those with induced puberty. Final adult height, however, was not different. Patients disomic for Xp chromosome were taller than the monosomic ones, and the majority of them had spontaneous puberty. Significant positive correlations were found between height of Turner syndrome patients and corrected mid parental height, mother's height and father's height from the age of 6 years. It is concluded that in patients with Turner syndrome spontaneous puberty and parental height should be accounted for in the evaluation of linear growth.

Twenty-two hypopituitary boys treated with human GH were studied longitudinally before and during puberty. Eight patients entered spontaneous puberty at a mean bone age of 12.4 +/- 1.0 (+/- SD) yr. Height velocity reached a mean peak of 6.8 cm/yr during the second year of spontaneous puberty. In these patients, the mean total height gain throughout puberty was 22.8 +/- 5.2 cm, and the mean final height was 158.6 +/- 7.2 cm. Fourteen patients received testosterone enanthate (100 mg/month, im) starting at a mean bone age of 13.6 +/- 1.1 yr. Height velocity was maximal (7.5 cm/yr) during the first year of therapy. The mean final height was 162.9 +/- 5.0 cm, with a mean pubertal gain of 15.9 +/- 3.8 cm. Genital development, peak height velocity, and increase in plasma testosterone levels occurred earlier during testosterone therapy than during spontaneous puberty. In both groups of patients, there was a positive correlation between the bone age at onset of puberty and the height at onset of puberty (r = 0.65). There was also a negative correlation between bone age and total pubertal height gain (r = -0.73). This reduction in pubertal height increase was less than expected for bone age at onset of puberty, which can be explained by a decrease in bone age velocity in relation to bone age at onset of puberty (r = -0.81). Therefore, advancement in bone age at the onset of testosterone therapy did not impair final height, whereas it may increase height at onset of puberty, which is the major factor in final height. We conclude that in GH- and gonadotropin-deficient boys 1) a reduced dosage of testosterone enanthate (25 mg twice a month, im) should be used to induce pubertal development, and 2) the major criterion to decide when to give testosterone is height reached at that time regardless of bone age.

Background: The growth response to recombinant hGH (rhGH) treatment and final height of 61 Belgian children (32 boys) with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (GHD) were studied. Patients/Methods: Two patient groups were compared: Group 1 with spontaneous puberty (n = 49), Group 2 with induced puberty (n = 12). The patients were treated with daily subcutaneous injections of rhGH in a dose of 0.5–0.7 IU/kg/week (0.17–0.23 mg/kg/week) from the mean ± SD age of 11.9 ± 3.1 years during 5.1 ± 2.1 years. Results: rhGH treatment induced a doubling of the height velocity during the first year and resulted in a normalisation of height in 53 (87%) patients. Final height was –0.7 ± 1.1 SDS, being 170.4 ± 7.2 cm in boys and 158.0 ± 6.4 cm in girls. Corrected for mid-parental height, final height was 0.0 ± 1.1 SDS. Ninety-two percent of the patients attained an adult height within the genetically determined target height range. Although height gain during puberty was smaller in the patients with induced puberty (boys: 17.1 ± 7.0 cm vs. 27.5 ± 6.6 cm (p < 0.005); girls: 9.6 ± 7.4 cm vs. 22.2 ± 6.1 cm (p < 0.005)), no differences in final height after adjustment for mid-parental height were found between patients with spontaneous or induced puberty. Conclusions: We conclude that patients with idiopathic GHD treated with rhGH administered as daily subcutaneous injections in a dose of 0.5–0.7 IU/kg/week reach their genetic growth potential, resulting in a normalisation of height in the majority of them, irrespective of spontaneous or induced puberty.

and Lit?ge6, Belgium, in collaboration with the Belgiun Sritdy Group f;) r Pediatric Endocrinology ' Xhrouet-Heinrichs D, Lagrou K, Heinrichs C, Craen M, Dooms L, Malvaux P, Kanen F, Bourguignon J-P. Longitudinal study of behavioral and affective patterns in girls with central precocious puberty during longacting triptorelin therapy. Acta Pzdiatr 1997; 86: 808-15. Stockholm. ISSN 0803-5253The aim of the present study was to evaluate the behavioral and affective characteristics and the changes in psychosocial functioning resulting from precocious puberty in 15 girls with central precocious puberty treated for 2 y using the GnRH agonist long-acting triptorelin, and in 5 untreated girls. After diagnosis of precocious puberty at 6.6-10.4 y of age, height, weight and pubertal development were evaluated at 3-month intervals over 2 y. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with the patient, the parents and the pediatric endocrinologists at 1, 8, 16 and 24 months after diagnosis. Standardized questionnaires (Child Behavior Checklist, Self-esteem Inventory) were administered at 1 and 24 months or 16 and 24 months, respectively. There was a mean 1.5-y delay between the observation of signs of puberty as reported by the parents and the diagnosis of precocious puberty at the first consultation of a pediatric endocrinologist. Before follow-up, all 20 girls were very concerned about physical differences from peers, particularly breast development. During therapy, breast regression to minimal or absent development occurred in 5/15 treated patients, who then no longer felt embarrassed about pubertal development in contrast to the other patients. Fear of sexuality remained obvious throughout the study in most patients. Feelings of loneliness and exemplary behavior were observed and tended to decrease in the treated patients and to increase in the untreated patients. Elevated scores of withdrawal, anxiety/depression and somatic complaints at Child Behavior Checklist were still observed after 2 y. These changes in behavioral and affective characteristics appeared to be related neither to height and weight, nor to development of pubic hair, which progressed in most patients. After 2 y, the physical differences remained a concern for 13 girls and the risk of short adult stature for 6. In summary. some behavioral and affective characteristics and particularities in psychosocial functioning are observed in girls with precocious puberty. During treatment with long acting triptorelin, problematic behavior and functioning decrease slightly, particularly in the few girls showing breast regression to minimal or absent development. 0 GnRH agonist, precocious puberty, psychological aspects

Forty patients with Turner's syndrome, aged 5.0-16.6 yr, were randomly allocated to receive daily sc injections of recombinant human GH (hGH) at a dose of 1 IU/kg.week alone (group I) or in combination with 25 ng/kg.day ethinyl estradiol (E2; group II). The mean pretreatment height velocity was 3.8 cm/yr for both groups. During the first year of treatment height velocity increased significantly (P less than 0.001) in both groups, to 7.5 +/- 1.3 and 8.1 +/- 1.6 cm/yr, respectively. The difference between the two groups was not significant. The mean (+/- SD) height velocity expressed as the SD score for chronological age (Turner references) was 0.0 +/- 1.2 for group I and 0.2 +/- 1.4 for group II and increased significantly (P less than 0.001) during the first year of treatment to +4.3 +/- 1.1 in group I and +5.4 +/- 1.2 in group II. The difference between both groups was statistically significant (P less than 0.01). Height SD score for chronological age (Turner references) increased from -0.2 +/- 0.9 to +0.6 +/- 1.0 in group I and from -0.2 +/- 1.0 to +0.7 +/- 1.1 in group II. Mean bone age progressed similarly in both treatment groups (1.1 +/- 0.6 yr during 1 yr of treatment). However, bone age maturation accelerated more rapidly in younger patients. Twelve girls (three in group I and nine in group II) had minor breast development. No major adverse effects were reported. We conclude that daily sc therapy with hGH stimulates height velocity in Turner's syndrome. The beneficial effect on height velocity increment of E2 addition was small. Furthermore, even very low doses of E2 may induce breast development at an early age and accelerate bone maturation. For these reasons, the addition of E2 to hGH is not warranted in young patients with Turner's syndrome.

The effect of GH administration was evaluated over 2 yr in 50 short, prepubertal, non-GH deficient children born small for gestational age, who had been randomly allocated to a group receiving no treatment or daily sc GH treatment at a dose of 0.2 or 0.3 IU/kg. At the start of the study, mean age was 5.2 yr, bone age was 4.0 yr, height SDS was -3.5, height velocity SDS was -0.8, weight SDS was -2.7, and body mass index SDS was -1.9. Catch-up growth was observed in none of the untreated and all of the treated children. The response to GH treatment included a near doubling of growth velocity and of weight gain and a mean height increment of more than 2 SDS. GH treatment was associated with a distinct acceleration of bone maturation. The differences between the growth responses evoked by the two GH doses were minor. The prepubertal GH-induced catch-up growth was associated with elevated serum concentrations of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, and osteocalcin, whereas insulin-like growth factor-II levels remained unaltered. GH treatment was well tolerated. In conclusion, high-dose GH administration over 2 yr is emerging as a potential therapy to increase the short stature that results from insufficient catch-up growth in young children born small for gestational age. The long-term impact of this approach remains to be delineated.

ExtractGH is necessary for the replication of subcutaneous adipose ceFls. It has also been shown that successful treatment of This study was undertaken to evaluate adipose cell size amd hygopjtuitary patients with WGH reduces skinfold number and subcutaneous fat and blosd lipids composition in the first months-Thereaftm, skinfold thickness hypopituitary ~a t i e n t s before and during treatment with. inGzeaa progressiveky and mturns to pretreatment values human growth hormone (BGH). The investigations were which E e att*ed aftm 4-5 y a r s of t h e~a p y (1, 26, 27, 32, performed in 14 prepubertal children 6-11 11/12 y e a s of 33). age, with idiopathic hypopituitarism. Human growth h o m a n e B~~~~~~ madjficatiolts d adipocfles explain the was administered successfully to 6 of these 14 patients for at changes in skhfold tkcknem observed dun;ng treatment with least 1 year.HGH, this study was, under;t&en to emluate adipose cell size Before HGH treatment there was a significant reduction of and nmber and subcutme~pus fat and blood composiadipose tissue cell number according to chronologic age and t o ti,n ini h y g o p i t~t w y p8ieIrEts before and dm.g skeletal age. The average adipose cell size was significantky HGH. larger than normal. A significant correlation between subcutaneous adipose cell mean-weight and tricipital and subscapular skinfold thickness, similar to that observed in normal children, was observed. The distribution of fatty acids in the subcutaneous fat and in the blood lipid composition was normal.During the 1st and 2nd year of HGH treatment, the total number of adipose cells increased rapidly. There was also a highly significant reduction of the average adipose cell size after the 1st year. A significant reduction of the fatty acids unsaturated fraction was observed after the 1st year without further changes after the 2nd year of treatment. The blood lipid composition did not change significantly after either 1 or 2 years of HGH treatment. SpeculationThe striking increase in total number of adipose cells observed during HGH administration in hypopituitary patients tends to prove that the adipose tissue organogenesis is not limited to a finite period ending after the 1st year of life.The modifications in composition of adipose tissue triglycerides induced by long term treatment with HGH would mean that the several components of the fatty acid pool are differentially liberated.The importance of growth hormone (GH) for the multiplication of muscle, cartilage, or liver cells has been well established both in man and in animals (9). Brook (7) has shown that at the end of intrauterine growth and during the first year of life, MATERIALS AND METHOID& STJBJECTSThe investigations were performed int 14 prepubertal children, 10 boys and 4 girls, 6-1 7 11/12 years of age, with idiopathic hypopituitarism. Clinical data are su~nmarized in Table I. G r o u p I contains the hypopituitary subjects who have been treated subsequently with HGH, whereas group I1 consists of patients untreated SKI far. The standa...

Wolter, R., Noel, P., De Cock, P., Craen, M., Ernould, Ch., Malvaux, P., Verstraeten, F., Simons, J., Mertens, S., Van Broeck, N. and Vanderschueren-Lodeweyckx, M. (Departments of Paediatrics, Universities of Brussels, Leuven, Ghent, Liege and Louvain, Belgium). Neuropsychological study in treated thyroid dysgenesis. Acta Paediatr Scand, Suppl. 277: 41, 1979.-Neuropsychological assessment was carried out in 57 patients aged 3.0 to 17.5 years (mean 8.5) with thyroid dysgenesis under adequate long-term therapy. Starting age of hypothyroidism as estimated by bone age at diagnosis was prenatal in 32 cases, close to birth in 13 cases and postnatal of 1-12 months in 12 cases. Hypothyroidism ofprenatal onset results in severe neuropsychological disorders and mental retardation if not treated early. Only some signs of "minimal brain dysfunction" which compensate with advancing age and normal IQ are found in these children if therapy is started before one month of age. Hypothyroidism starting at birth does not result in mental retardation but neuropsychological disorders are found. They are more frequent if treatment is started after 6 months of age. Children who become hypothyroid between I and 12 months of age are usually not mentally retarded and show minor neuropsychological disorders.