Abstract
We investigated 17 growth-retarded children with chronic renal failure (CRF) who had a structural abnormality as a primary renal disease. Seven patients with CRF were treated with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), and the mean standardized height of these patients were improved from -3.5±0.3 at baseline to -2.6±1.5 (P<0.05). The maximal growth velocity occurred during the first year of rhGH treatment. Six children were treated with rhGH for more than five years, and 4 of these children reached a height within the normal range (within 2 SD of normal height). In contrast, the mean standardized height of the untreated 10 children was 3.6±1.1 SD below normal, and 7 of these children had reached an adult height below the normal range. The mean calculated Ccr decreased from 31.1±16.5ml/min/1.73m2 at baseline to 22.5±22.5ml/min/1.73m2 at five years in long-term treated patients, which would be consistent with the natural history of CRF in children. The clinically significant adverse events potentially related to rhGH were absent. We conclude that long-term rhGH treatment is very effective in improving retarded growth in children with CRF..
