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Effects of nightly clonidine administration on growth velocity in short children without growth hormone deficiency: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
- Source :
-
The Journal of pediatrics [J Pediatr] 1993 Jan; Vol. 122 (1), pp. 32-6. - Publication Year :
- 1993
-
Abstract
- Children with short stature, slowed linear growth velocity, and delayed skeletal maturation may secrete growth hormone (GH) normally in response to provocative stimuli but may also have spontaneous undersecretion of GH. Orally administered clonidine, an alpha 2-adrenergic agonist, is a potent acute stimulator of growth hormone releasing hormone-mediated pituitary GH release. We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of nightly oral clonidine therapy (0.1 mg/m2) in 10 short, slowly growing, non-GH-deficient (stimulated GH level > 15 micrograms/L) prepubertal boys (range, 6.1 to 12.2 years; mean height standard deviation score, -2.3 +/- 0.4). Results of 6 months of clonidine therapy were compared with the results of 6 months of placebo therapy; GH responsiveness was subsequently assessed in 7 of 10 patients. Growth velocity (4.9 +/- 0.6 cm/yr baseline) was not improved by clonidine (4.6 +/- 1.2 cm/yr) or placebo (5.2 +/- 1.2 cm/yr), but it increased (p < 0.001) with GH therapy (8.2 +/- 1.3 cm/yr). Clonidine therapy similarly did not significantly affect plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor I or bone age maturation. Diminution in clonidine-stimulated peak GH levels was not observed after long-term oral clonidine therapy. Thus, in contrast to previous non-placebo-controlled studies, nightly clonidine therapy did not increase growth velocity or plasma insulin-like growth factor I levels. Subsequent acceleration in growth velocity during GH therapy suggests that a proposed increase in clonidine-induced endogenous GH secretion does not result in an effective growth-promoting stimulus.
- Subjects :
- Administration, Oral
Age Determination by Skeleton
Bone Development drug effects
Child
Clonidine administration & dosage
Double-Blind Method
Growth Disorders physiopathology
Growth Hormone analogs & derivatives
Growth Hormone deficiency
Growth Hormone therapeutic use
Hormones therapeutic use
Human Growth Hormone
Humans
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System drug effects
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I analysis
Male
Placebos
Recombinant Proteins
Body Height drug effects
Clonidine therapeutic use
Growth drug effects
Growth Disorders drug therapy
Growth Hormone pharmacokinetics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0022-3476
- Volume :
- 122
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The Journal of pediatrics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 8419612
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3476(05)83483-3