BONE-MINERAL DENSITY OF PREPUBERTAL AGE GIRLS WITH TURNERS-SYNDROME WHILE ON GROWTH-HORMONE THERAPY

Bone mineral densities and growth velocities of young girls with Turner's syndrome treated with recombinant human growth hormone at an age before the decreased levels of estrogens secondary to their ovarian failure could contribute to osteopenia were studied. Twelve patients with a mean chronological age of 8.9 +/- 0.9 years and a mean bone age of 6.9 +/- 0.8 years received growth hormone therapy for over 2 years (0.5 IU/kg/week s.c.). Mean growth velocities increased significantly from a baseline level of 3.5 +/- 0.4 cm/year to 6.4 +/- 0.3 and 5.7 +/-: 0.4 cm/year at 12 and 24 months of therapy, while height SDS improved from -3.1 +/- 0.4 at baseline to -2.7 +/- 0.3 and -2.4 +/- 0.3 at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Total bone calcium as well as cortical bone mineral density of our patients while on recombinant human growth hormone were similar to that of a control group of prepubertal healthy children paired for bone age and height; bone density of trabecular bone was however increased in our patients when compared to healthy controls (0.791 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.669 +/- 0.02 g/cm(2); p < 0.025). We conclude from our study that the bone mineral status of young girls with Turner's syndrome on growth hormone therapy seems to be normal.