1. Treatment of hypopituitarism in infancy. Effect on head circumference growth.
- Author
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Di Maio S, Salerno M, Gasparini N, Fusco T, Pisaturo L, and Valerio G
- Subjects
- Drug Therapy, Combination, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Retrospective Studies, Head growth & development, Human Growth Hormone therapeutic use, Hypopituitarism drug therapy, Thyroxine therapeutic use
- Abstract
Background: Head circumference of children with multiple pituitary-hormone deficiency (MPHD) may be subnormal for age. Moreover it is known that linear growth in infancy is growth-hormone (GH) dependent. Therefore, aim of the study has been to compare head circumference measurements in children with hypopituitarism after L-thyroxine (L-T4) therapy alone, before therapy with GH, and after GH was added to the therapy., Methods: Five infants (2 girls, 3 boys) with MPHD, diagnosed and treated before the age of 2 years and whose auxological parameters records during L-T4 therapy alone were available, were retrospectively studied. Head circumference and length measurements were expressed as standard deviation score (SDS). Weight measurements were expressed as weight for length ratio percentage., Results: Initially treated with L-T4 alone for a mean period of 4, 5 months, there were neither positive effects on head circumference nor on linear growth. A significant catch-up growth was observed only employing GH therapy in addition to L-T4: mean head circumference SDS and length SDS increased respectively from -2.20 to -0.89 SDS and from -4.16 to -0.87 SDS after a mean period of 18 months of combined GH and L-T4 therapy., Conclusions: Therefore, head circumference growth, in infancy, is growth hormone dependent as well as linear growth, and during GH treatment, monitoring head circumference growth is important as much as monitoring linear growth.
- Published
- 1999