Growth in adolescent hemodialysis patients: Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ESRD Clinical Performance Measures Project

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Clinical Performance Measures (CPM) Project has collected data on all adolescent hemodialysis patients since 2000. Thus, by 2002 data were available on all adolescents on hemodialysis in the USA for 3 consecutive years. Possible associations between clinical parameters and linear growth in this cohort were evaluated. Ninety-four adolescents were on hemodialysis for the 3 study years. The mean height standard deviation score (ht SDS) fell from -1.97 to -2.36 over the 3 study years. Compared with patients with ht SDS > or =-1.88, patients with ht SDS <-1.88 in the 2002 study year (n =53) were more likely to be male (66% vs 44%, p <0.05), on dialysis longer (6.9+/-4.5 years vs 4.1+/-2.3 years, p <0.001), and had lower height SDS in the 2000 study year (-2.90+/-1.31 vs -0.772+/-1.10, p <0.001). Patients with a ht SDS <-1.88 had a lower mean hemoglobin (11.4+/-1.6 g/dl vs 12.0+/-1.1 g/dl, p <0.05), but there were no differences in other clinical parameters. Among patients with ht SDS <-1.88, 38.8% (n =20) were prescribed recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in the 2002 study year. There were no differences in demographic or clinical parameters between rhGH treated and untreated patients. Many adolescents who remain on hemodialysis have poor linear growth. Further evaluation is needed to delineate contributory factors and the possible underutilization of rhGH.