Individualization of growth hormone therapy

Short children born small for gestational age account for 20% of patients with short stature. These children should be investigated individually to identify treatable causes of their short stature and any associated neurodevelopmental problems. Randomized controlled growth hormone therapy trials demonstrate growth acceleration in childhood and improved adult height. The individualization of therapy is increasingly possible with insight from the available prediction models. These identify the main modifiable factors such as dose of growth hormone and age at the start of therapy. Non-modifiable factors including target height standard deviation score (SDS), weight SDS at the start of therapy, and first year response to therapy also play a significant role.

Key words: growth hormone, short stature, SGA, prediction model, pharmacogenomics