Bone Mineral Density in Children with GH Deficiency

The bone mineral density (BMD) of the 2nd metacarpal bone of the left hand was measured in 14 children with complete GH deficiency (CGHD) and 21 children with partial GH deficiency (PGHD) by the digital image processing (DIP) method. In the pretreatment patients, mean BMD in CGHD was significantly lower than that in normal children. The BMD standard deviation (SD) score in the patients with CGHD who had started the GH treatment before 10 years of age increased by approximately 1.5 SD during GH treatment, while that in the patients with PGHD did not change significantly. Since BMD did not show a pubertal increase in the patients who received combined GH and LHRH analog treatment, their BMD SD score decreased by approximately 1.5 SD. The data demonstrate that GH influences BMD, and the level of BMD in patients with GHD should be followed in a longitudinal observation.