Longitudinal Pubertal Growth According to Age at Pubertal Growth Spurt Onset: Data from a Spanish Study Including 458 Children (223 Boys and 235 Girls)

Abstract

Our data might contribute to better clinical evaluation of pubertal growth according to individual pubertal maturity tempo.

Height Gain at Adult-Height Age in 184 Short Patients Treated with Growth Hormone from Prepubertal Age to Near Adult-Height Age is Not Related to GH Secretory Status at GH Therapy Onset

“…In addition, according to pubertal growth spurt onset, patients were classified as very early, early, intermediate, late and very late maturers and the corresponding anthropometric data (height-SDS, HtV-SDS) during prepubertal and pubertal GH therapy periods and at adult-height age were calculated according to the age-, sex- and pubertal stage-matched Spanish controls obtained in a recent longitudinal study; this allowed us to perform more adequate prepubertal and pubertal growth evaluations using five different pubertal growth patterns than when only one is used, as usually occurs. Furthermore, the percentage of patients included in each pubertal maturity group was similar to those observed in the control population [18,19,20]. …”

“…In the poor GH responder B subgroup, the prepubertal growth rate was similar to that observed in the intermediate GH responder group, and the pubertal loss of the previous prepubertal height-SDS gain suggested poor therapy compliance during puberty and underline the need for appropriate auxologic evaluation of these patients to detect this pubertal height-SDS loss early, using longitudinal growth data for their corresponding pubertal maturity group [18,19,20]. …”

“…Moreover, a wide age range for pubertal growth spurt onset is observed in both sexes [18,19,20]. Therefore, in order to avoidas far as possible age-dependent differences in growth responsiveness to GH therapy, our study included only girls aged 3-8 years and boys aged 3-10 years at GH therapy onset in whom pubertal growth spurt onset occurred 2 or more years after the start of GH therapy and, consequently, the major catch-up GH therapy period coincided with prepubertal age.…”

“…All anthropometric values were transformed into SD scores (SDS) according to age-, sex- and pubertal stage-matched control values recently reported in the Spanish cross-sectional [17,18] and longitudinal growth studies [18,19,20]. The Spanish longitudinal study facilitated evaluation of prepubertal and pubertal growth using five different growth standards, according to age at pubertal growth spurt onset, instead of a single one as usually occurs.…”

Growth Hormone Secretory Status Evaluated by Growth Hormone Peak after Two Pharmacological Growth Hormone Release Stimuli Did Not Significantly Influence the Two-Year Catch-Up Growth Induced by Growth Hormone Therapy in 318 Prepubertal Short Children with Idiopathic Growth Retardation

“…HtV were calculated for the 1 year prior to the start of the GH therapy period (baseline HtV) and for the two following 1-year periods of GH therapy. Height, HtV and BMI at the start, at 1 year and at 2 years of GH therapy were transformed into SDS according to age-, sex- and pubertal stage-matched control values recently reported in Spanish cross-sectional [20] and longitudinal studies [21,22,23]. Total height gain (1st year height gain + 2nd year height gain in SDS and in cm) was calculated [19].…”