Cognition, Emotions and Quality of Life in Lithuanian Girls with Turner Syndrome after Growth Hormone Therapy Discontinuation

Objective: to examine cognitive functions, emotional state and quality of life of patients with Turner syndrome (TS) after growth hormone therapy discontinuation. Patients and Methods: Anthropometric measurements, cognitive functioning, emotional state and quality of life of eighteen Lithuanian patients with TS were compared to that of age- and sex-matched controls. Height and weight of girls with TS were significantly lower than in the controls, though differences in body mass index were not significant. Results: Tension-anxiety (10.617.21 vs. 6.723.98, p0.02) and depression-dejection (14.7211.87 vs. 8.496.29, p0.02) were significantly higher, vigor-activity (13.054.77 vs. 16.13 4.36, p0.04) was significantly lower and scores of cognitive functioning (53.1829.46 vs. 26.797.31 and 96.9444.59 vs. 58.0715.43, p0.001) were significantly higher (showing worse psychomotoric speed) in patients with TS than in the controls. Quality of life (9.535.19 vs. 6.354.19, p0.03) in girls with TS was significantly worse than in healthy girls of the same age. Conclusion, patients with Turner syndrome are shorter, have lower weight, higher waist-to-hip ratio, impaired cognitive functions (worse psychomotoric speed), altered emotional state (higher tension-anxiety and depression-dejection, lower vigor-activity scores) and lower quality of life than age- and sex-matched controls.