View clinical trials related to Idiopathic Short Stature.
Filter by:Serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) measurements have been shown to correlate well with growth hormone action and effect, and recent data show that serum IGF-I may be related to safety and efficacy of growth hormone (GH) treatment in patients. Some studies indicate that high IGF-I levels are associated with increased cancer risk, and low IGF-I levels are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Studies in children also show that the serum IGF-I level is correlated with the change in height score achieved (that is, the higher the IGF-I level, the greater the gain in height). Pediatric endocrinologists have therefore begun to use serum IGF-I levels, in addition to growth rate and weight gain, to adjust the GH dose in treated children. Although monitoring of serum IGF-I levels is becoming standard of care in patients begin treated with GH, there are few guidelines regarding the actual logistics of adjusting GH dose. As serum IGF-I level has been linked to both safety and efficacy of GH treatment, the ideal practice would be to maintain serum IGF-I levels within a certain target range. The overall goal of our study is to construct a mathematical model which predicts the change in GH dose necessary to achieve a desired change in IGF-I level. Hypotheses to be tested by our study include the following: IGF-I measurement has a role in optimization of GH therapy; GH dose change to achieve IGF-I changes are predictable; and gender and puberty affect the relationship between dose change and target IGF-I changes.
Growth hormone treatment improves body fat distribution but also causes insulin resistance. Scientists have recently linked insulin resistance with special stores of fat in the muscles, which can be measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The researchers hypothesize that growth hormone will paradoxically reverse the linkage between muscle fat stores and insulin resistance. To assess this association and to investigate the cause(s), the researchers will measure muscle fat stores during growth hormone treatment. Other parameters linked to insulin resistance (glucose tolerance, blood markers, and body composition) will also be assessed. This study may lead to improved strategies for monitoring growth hormone therapy.