[Treatment with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in children with chronic kidney failure or renal transplantation].

Administration of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) to children with chronic renal failure (CRF), on conservative treatment or kidney transplanted, may induce acceleration of growth. We report our experience of the first 3 years of treatment in such children.Eight children with CRF on conservative treatment and six kidney transplanted children were included in a European multicentric trial. All children were given rhGH, 30 Ul/m2 body surface area/week, as daily subcutaneous injections, for 12-36 months.The mean growth velocity in children with CRF increased from 3.8 +/- 0.4 cm/yr before treatment to 9.0 +/- 0.4 (P < 0.001), 6.5 +/- 0.3 (P < 0.002) and 5.4 +/- 0.5 cm/yr, after 12, 24 and 36 months of treatment, respectively. The height gain after 2 years of treatment was 1.2 SD (P < 0.001) with bone age advancement not greater than the increase in chronological age. There was a significant decrease in the inulin clearance after 1 year of treatment. In transplanted children, the mean height gain was less important, increasing from 3.2 +/- 0.4 cm/yr before treatment to 6.2 +/- 0.6 cm/yr after 12 months of treatment (P < 0.001). There was no significant decrease in the mean inulin clearance, but two patients experienced rejection crisis.A short-term rhGH treatment may improve growth velocity of CRF or transplanted children. The possible role of GH on decrease in glomerular filtration in CRF and on incidence of acute kidney rejection after transplantation remains to be evaluated in a large cohort of patients.