Effect of recombinant human growth hormone therapy on bone and clinical parameters in girls with Turner's syndrome. The Spanish Collaborative Group.

Forty-eight girls with Turner's syndrome were assigned to one of three treatments; recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) alone, rhGH plus oxandrolone, and rhGH plus ethinyloestradiol. Treatment with rhGH alone or in combination with oxandrolone induced catch-up growth. Older girls treated with rhGH plus ethinyloestradiol showed less marked improvement. The gain in height was associated with a gain in bone diameter and cortical thickness (reflecting increased bone mass). There was a rapid loss of subcutaneous fat. These effects of growth hormone are similar to those observed in patients with growth hormone deficiency.