Study of Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Analog (LHRHa) in Pubertal Patients With Extreme Short Stature

Summary

Children with extreme short stature (height) and their families often experience significant psychological stress related to concerns about adult height. In addition, short stature often results in life-long emotional, social, and physical obstacles to the affected person. Normal growth occurs in two phases. The first phase, known as childhood growth, occurs below the age of 10. The second phase of growth, teen-age or adolescent growth, begins between the ages of 10 and 15. In addition, puberty marks the time when the bone's growth plates (epiphysis) begin to close, initiating the completion of linear growth (height). Some children suffer from a condition called precocious puberty, meaning that puberty begins at a younger age than normal. The development of medications known as synthetic LHRH analogs have provided a method to delay puberty and treat these patients. LHRHa (deslorelin) is a hormone created to act like naturally occurring LHRH. It been used in patient's diagnosed with precocious (early onset) puberty. The drugs were able to regress patient's clinical signs of puberty, decrease the levels of adult sex hormones produced, and slow the rate of bone aging.

Timeline

Start

1983-11

Primary completion

—

Completion

2001-10

Publications

• Background Municchi G, Rose SR, Pescovitz OH, Barnes KM, Cassorla FG, Cutler GB Jr. Effect of deslorelin-induced pubertal delay on the growth of adolescents with short stature and normally timed puberty: preliminary results. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1993 Nov;77(5):1334-9. doi: 10.1210/jcem.77.5.8077329.
• Background Manasco PK, Pescovitz OH, Hill SC, Jones JM, Barnes KM, Hench KD, Loriaux DL, Cutler GB Jr. Six-year results of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist treatment in children with LHRH-dependent precocious puberty. J Pediatr. 1989 Jul;115(1):105-8. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(89)80341-5. No abstract available.
• Background Bourguignon JP. Linear growth as a function of age at onset of puberty and sex steroid dosage: therapeutic implications. Endocr Rev. 1988 Nov;9(4):467-88. doi: 10.1210/edrv-9-4-467. No abstract available.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.