Does preterm birth influence the response to growth hormone treatment in short, small for gestational age children?

Objective To investigate whether prematurity has an independent influence on the response to GH treatment in short, small for gestational age (SGA) children. Design A longitudinal 3-year GH study. Patients A total of 392 prepubertal non-GH-deficient, short SGA children, comprising 138 preterm (< 36 weeks) and 254 term (≥ 36 weeks) children. Measurements Height, weight, head circumference, skinfolds and serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were measured before start of GH treatment and after 6 months, 1, 2 and 3 years of treatment. Results Preterm short SGA children were significantly lighter and shorter at birth after correction for gestational age than term short SGA children (P < 0·001). At start of GH treatment, preterm children were significantly shorter than term children when height was corrected for target height (TH). Preterm children were also significantly leaner as shown by a lower body mass index (BMI) standard deviation score (SDS) and a lower sum of four skinfolds SDS. Prematurity had no influence on childhood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels. The response to GH treatment was similar for preterm and term SGA children. Conclusions Within a population of short SGA children, prematurity is associated with a smaller size for gestational age and a shorter height corrected for TH and leaner phenotype in childhood. The response to GH treatment is similar for preterm and term short SGA children.