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Sixteen prepubertal children with constitutional growth delay (10 boys and six girls, mean age 7.2 +/- 2.1 years) were administered a daily dose of clonidine (0.15 mg/m2) for a period of 1 year. Growth hormone levels, plasma somatomedin C, and linear growth rate were significantly increased at the end of the treatment. Six of the children maintained the higher growth rate even 6 months after treatment. These and other studies suggest that prolonged stimulation of the hypothalamus by clonidine may ameliorate the impairment of growth hormone release seen in some children with constitutional growth delay. Because of the low cost and the convenience of the oral route, administration of clonidine could be a mode of treatment in some children with poor growth.

The oral administration of Clonidine, (C) a selective Alpha-Adrenergic agonist has been shown to increase growth hormone(GH) secretion in children and has been proposed as one of the reliable tests of GH reserve. The effects of chronic administra tion of C on growth have not yet been reported. We have now evaluated the effects of C administration on the rate of growth (RG) and somatomedin C (SM-C) levels in normal prepubertal children with short stature. Ten children (4-9y) with normal RG and normal GH reserve as assessed by the C test and SM-C determination were the subjects of this study. C was administer ed orally to these children as a single dose (0.15mg/m2/body surface area) every night during a 6-month period. Height, weight and blood pressure were measured. Plasma SM-C was determined before and one week after the last C dose. No side effects were observed during the 6-month period. The administration of C during that period produced a significant increase in the RG and SM-C levels. We conclude that C-administration could be used as an alternative treatment modality for normal children with short stature