Results and side-effects of treating children with growth hormone after kidney transplantation – a preliminary report

The effect of growth hormone (GH) therapy on renal function was investigated in 203 children who had undergone kidney transplantation. In addition, the efficacy of GH in stimulating growth as well as other aspects of safety were assessed. The patients were randomized to receive either GH, 1 IU/kg/week, administered subcutaneously once daily, or no treatment during the first year (controls). During the second year, all patients received GH. The change in growth velocity and A height SD score during the first year of GH treatment was statistically significant compared with controls ( p < 0.0001). During the second year, those patients who received GH during the first year continued to show an increased rate of growth compared with that during the pretreatment period; however, the mean growth rate was lower than that in the first year of treatment. The mean change in glomerular filtration rate did not differ between the treated and control groups during the first year of the study. However, acute rejection episodes tended to be more frequent during GH treatment, particularly in those patients who had a history of more than one episode. Close monitoring of renal function is therefore recommended.