Growth retardation and
diabetes mellitus are common in children and adolescents with
beta-thalassemia major despite hypertransfusion regimen and
iron chelation therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of
growth hormone (GH) treatment on
glucose metabolism in children with
beta-thalassemia major. GH
therapy for 3 years improved the height SD scores of eight short prepubertal Chinese children with
beta-thalassemia major from -2.15 +/- 0.90 to -1.14 +/- 0.78 (paired t-test, p = 0.01) without excessive advancement in bone age (ABA/CA = 0.95 +/- 0.27). There was no deleterious effect on
glucose metabolism with no change in fasting
blood sugar, serum
fructosamine, fasting and stimulated
insulin to intravenous
glucose infusion (sum of 1+3 min
insulin, In 1+3'; incremental
insulin 0-10 min area above fasting concentrations, deltaInAUC0-10'; ratio of incremental 0-10 min
insulin area above fasting concentrations over
glucose area above fasting concentrations, delta0-10'AUCIn/G; ratio of incremental 0-10 min
insulin over peak
glucose above basal 0-10 min, delta0-10'InAUC/deltaGPeak), and
glucose disappearance coefficient (Kg). Short term GH
therapy improves the height of children with
beta-thalassemia major but the effect of treatment on final height still needs to be determined.