No difference in pubertal growth and final height between treated hypogonadal and non-hypogonadal thalassemic patients.

BACKGROUND: Many factors can negatively affect growth in thalassemic patients, and hypogonadism has been considered as the main factor responsible for their pubertal growth failure.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of hypogonadism and its treatment on pubertal growth and final height in thalassemic patients.
METHODS: We compared the growth of 28 hypogonadal thalassemic patients in whom puberty was induced to that of 25 patients in whom puberty occurred spontaneously.
RESULTS: In both groups of patients we observed reduced peak height velocity (induced puberty: females 4.9 +/- 2.1, males 6.0 +/- 1.8 cm/year; spontaneous puberty: females 6.1 +/- 1.5, males 7.3 +/- 2.1 cm/year) and pubertal height gain (induced puberty: females 11.3 +/- 4.0, males 18.0 +/- 4.5 cm/year; spontaneous puberty: females 15.8 +/- 2.7, males 18.1 +/- 5.3 cm/year) and a short final height (induced puberty: females -1.8 +/- 0.7, males -2.1 +/- 1.0 SDS; spontaneous puberty: females -2.3 +/- 1.0, males -1.9 +/- 1.0 SDS).
CONCLUSIONS: Poor pubertal growth is present in thalassemic patients regardless of hypogonadism. Other factors are responsible for the reduced growth spurt and the final short stature observed in these patients. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel