Growth hormone treatment improves final height and nutritional status of children with chronic kidney disease and growth deceleration

Growth retardation is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. Treatment with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has been used to help short children with CKD to attain a height more in keeping with their age group, but the scientific evidence regarding the effect of rhGH on final height is scarce. Final heights of children with CKD receiving rhGH treatment (cases) were compared with final heights of a matched cohort of children with CKD that did not receive rhGH therapy (controls). Sixty-eight rhGH-treated cases (44 boys) were compared with 92 untreated controls (60 boys). Mean duration of rhGH therapy was 4.2 ± 0.9 years; rhGH dose was 0.3 ± 0.07 mg/kg/week. Height SDS at baseline was lower in rhGH-treated patients than in controls (−2.00 ± 1.02 versus −0.96 ± 1.11, p