Effect of Biosynthetic Growth Hormone and/or Ethinyl Estradiol on Adult Height in Patients With Turner Syndrome

Summary

Turners Syndrome is a genetic condition in females that is a result of abnormal chromosomes. Girls with Turner syndrome are very short as children and as adults. Although their growth hormone secretion is almost always normal, giving injections of growth hormone to Turner syndrome girls may increase their rate of growth. In addition, most girls with Turner syndrome do not have normal ovaries. In normal girls the ovaries begin producing small amounts of the female sex hormone, estrogen at about 11 - 12 years of age. As girls grow older the level of estrogen increases. Estrogen is responsible for the changes in girls known as feminization. During feminization the hips grow wider, the breasts develop, there is an increase in the rate of growth, and eventually girls experience their first menstrual period. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of low dose estrogen, growth hormone, and the combination of low dose estrogen and growth hormone on adult height in girls with Turner syndrome. Patients will be entered into the study from ages 5 to 12 and will be randomly placed into one of four groups. 1. Group one will receive low dose estrogen 2. Group two will receive growth hormone 3. Group three will receive both low dose estrogen and growth hormone 4. Group four will receive a placebo "sugar pill" Once started, the treatment will continue until the patients approach their adult height, and growth slows to less than 1/2 inch over the preceding year. This usually occurs by the age of 15 or 16. Patients will be seen at the outpatient clinic every 6 months during the study and will receive a routine check-up with blood and urine tests, and hand/wrist X-rays to determine bone age. On patient's yearly visits they will have the density of bone measured in their spine and forearm.

Timeline

Start

1987-09

Primary completion

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Completion

2003-09

Publications

• Background Rosenfeld RG, Hintz RL, Johanson AJ, Brasel JA, Burstein S, Chernausek SD, Clabots T, Frane J, Gotlin RW, Kuntze J, et al. Methionyl human growth hormone and oxandrolone in Turner syndrome: preliminary results of a prospective randomized trial. J Pediatr. 1986 Dec;109(6):936-43. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(86)80272-4.
• Background Raiti S, Moore WV, Van Vliet G, Kaplan SL. Growth-stimulating effects of human growth hormone therapy in patients with Turner syndrome. J Pediatr. 1986 Dec;109(6):944-9. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(86)80273-6.
• Background Urban MD, Lee PA, Dorst JP, Plotnick LP, Migeon CJ. Oxandrolone therapy in patients with Turner syndrome. J Pediatr. 1979 May;94(5):823-7. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(79)80170-5.
• Quigley CA, Wan X, Garg S, Kowal K, Cutler GB Jr, Ross JL. Effects of low-dose estrogen replacement during childhood on pubertal development and gonadotropin concentrations in patients with Turner syndrome: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Sep;99(9):E1754-64. doi: 10.1210/jc.2013-4518. Epub 2014 Apr 24.
• Ross JL, Quigley CA, Cao D, Feuillan P, Kowal K, Chipman JJ, Cutler GB Jr. Growth hormone plus childhood low-dose estrogen in Turner's syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2011 Mar 31;364(13):1230-42. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1005669.

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