Growth Hormone Effects on Adult Height in Idiopathic Short Stature

The authors, acting on behalf of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Eli Lilly Company Growth Hormone Collaborative Group, performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effect of growth hormone (GH) on final adult height when used in peripubertal children with idiopathic short stature. Subjects included 68 children (53 males) 9–16 years of age with marked idiopathic short stature, sexual maturation not greater than Tanner stage 2, and a bone age of 13 years or less in boys and 11 years or less in girls. Marked idiopathic short stature was defined by a height SD score (SDS) or predicted adult height SDS of −2.5 or less within the 12 months before study initiation, except before 1993 when a cutoff of −2.25 was used (6 such patients between −2.25 and −2.5 were included). Children were excluded if they had a chronic illness, known genetic syndrome, or had ever received growth or sex hormonal therapy, or were currently receiving medications with the potential to affect growth. Children were randomly assigned to receive …