Efficacy and safety of one year of growth hormone therapy in steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome

Objectives: To study the efficacy and safety of 1 year of growth hormone (GH) therapy in children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome. Study design: A prospective pilot, open study in which GH (mean dose 0.32 mg/kg per week) was administered for 1 year to 8 children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome requiring prednisolone (mean dose 0.46 mg/kg per day) to maintain remission. Steroid dependence was defined as recurrence of proteinuria within 2 weeks of discontinuation of prednisolone, or when the dose was lowered below a critical level. At entry, all patients had been steroid dependent for at least 1 year. Anthropometric and bone mineral density measurements after treatment were compared with 1-year pretreatment data. Results: Pretreatment mean (±SD) chronologic age was 12.6 (±3.1) years, with a mean bone age of 9.1 (±2.0) years, with delayed puberty in five patients. The mean height velocity increased from 3.7 (±1.4) to 9.4 (±2.1) cm/yr after 1 year of treatment (p