Comparison of Food Intake and Height Increment in Normal and Constitutionally Short Children and in Children with Growth Hormone Deficiency

抄録

The relation between height increment and food intake in 21 growth-hormonedeficient patients was studied in comparison with 10 normal and 13 constitutionally short children. Total calory of food intake and height increment were 64.6±18.6 Cal/kg/day and 7.31±2.53cm/year in normal children, 71.4±17.7Cal./kg/day and 6.13±1.52cm/year in constitutionally short children and 64.59±29.14Cal/kg/day and 5.29±1.11cm/year in HGH-deficient patients who were given HGH at a small dose ranging from 0.17 to 0.375 (0.248±0.064) IU/kg/week. Distribution of carbohydrate, protein and fat did not show any significant difference in relation to the total calory. A significant correlative relation between food intake and height increment was noted in normal children (r=0.748p<0.01) and in children with constitutionally short stature (r=0.7005p<0.005). Food intake by which to be able to expect normal prepubertal or pubertal growth is likely to be more than47.3Cal/kg/day. In a group of16HGH-deficient patients who had food intake ranging from 26.9 to 78 Cal/kg/day, a significant correlation between food intake and height increment was observed (r=0.473p<0.05), but in5patients who had food intake with more than 80 Cal/kg/day, height increment was not related to food intake but ranged from 5.4to 6.3cm/year. In a group of HGH-deficient patients who had food intake ranging from26.9 to 78 Cal/kg/day, the food intake of9responders to HGH (56.55±10.34 Cal/kg/day) was significantly more than that of 7 non-responders to HGH treatment (42.0±11.8Cal/kg/day), despite no statistically significant difference in HGH dose between responders and non-responders. These data suggest that the decreased food intake is one of the causative factors which induce unresponsiveness to HGH in HGH-deficient children who are treated with a small dose of HGH.