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Background:Growth prediction models (GPMs) exist to support clinical management of children treated with growth hormone (GH) for growth hormone deficiency (GHD), Turner syndrome (TS) and for short children born small for gestational age (SGA). Currently, no prediction system has been widely adopted.Content:The objective was to develop a stand-alone web-based system to enable the widespread use of an ‘individualised growth response optimisation’ (iGRO) tool across European endocrinology clinics. A modern platform was developed to ensure compatibility with IT systems and web browsers. Seventeen GPMs derived from the KIGS database were included and tested for accuracy.Summary:The iGRO system demonstrated prediction accuracy and IT compatibility. The observed discrepancies between actual and predicted height may support clinicians in investigating the reasons for deviations around the expected growth and optimise treatment.Conclusions:This system has the potential for wide access in endocrinology clinics to support the clinical management of children treated with GH for these three indications.

A prospective, multicenter study of patients with Ullrich-Turner syndrome (UTS) was conducted to estimate the prevalence of autoantibodies to tissue transglutaminase (tTg), thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSH-R), thyroglobulin (TG) and thyroid peroxidase (TPO) in relation to adult height after long-term growth hormone (GH) treatment. Out of 347 near-adult (> 16 years) patients with UTS from 96 German centers, whose longitudinal growth was documented within the Pharmacia International Growth Study (KIGS), 188 returned for a standardized follow-up visit at a median chronological age of 18.7 (16.0-23.6) years (bone age > 15 years). Serum samples of 120 patients were obtained for central measurements of TSH, thyroxine (T4) and free T4 and autoantibodies by standard immunoassays. Information regarding thyroid disease, karyotype and anthropometric data was extracted from the KIGS database. Thirty-six percent of the patients with UTS had positive TG and/or TPO autoantibodies and 4% had positive tTg autoantibodies, whereas 2% had positive TG and/or TPO autoantibodies as well as positive tTg autoantibodies. TSH-R autoantibodies were undetectable in all patients. The detection of autoantibodies was unrelated to a specific karyotype. Median height standard deviation scores (SDS, UTS) at start of GH treatment (0.43; -1.07, 1.85) and at follow-up (1.36; -0.11, 2.57) were comparable in all patients independent of their antibody status. The total deltaheight SDS, however, was higher in patients with negative autoantibody titers (1.08; -0.03, 2.25) compared to those with positive antibody titers (0.68; -0.44, 1.82; p < 0.01). Our study confirms the high prevalence of autoantibodies in patients with UTS predisposing them to autoimmune thyroid disease and celiac disease, and indicates for the first time that autoimmune pathologies may interfere with GH therapy and thus compromise final height. Therefore, medical care for patients with UTS should routinely include screening for these autoimmune disorders in order to assure early detection and appropriate treatment.