Study design (if review, criteria of inclusion for studies)
RCT, cross-over design
Participants
10 prepubertal children (mean +/- SD; age: 12.1 +/- 1.7 yr; height: 137.4 +/- 9.2 cm; body mass: 27.8 +/- 4.2 kg; forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1): 68 +/- 22% predicted)
Interventions
control period (CON, standard therapy) or recombinant human growth hormone (GH) period (additional GH treatment, 0.11-0.14 IU.kg-1, daily, s.c.) for the first 6 months, then crossed
Outcome measures
At study entry and after each period, anthropometric data, pulmonary function, and exercise capacity (peak exercise capacity, .VO(2peak), and isokinetic muscle strength) were measured.
Main results
Changes in height (+4.3 +/- 1.0 cm), total body mass (+2.2 +/- 0.8 kg), and lean body mass (LBM, +2.9 +/- 0.7 kg) were significantly higher (P < 0.01) after GH treatment compared with CON. Pulmonary function did not significantly change in either of the periods. In contrast to CON, GH treatment improved absolute .VO(2peak) (+19%, P < 0.01), peak ventilation (+14%, P < 0.01), and peak oxygen pulse (+18%, P < 0.01). Analysis of variance revealed that most of the changes (71%) in .VO(2peak) could be explained by those in LBM and FEV1 (P = 0.001).
Authors' conclusions
GH treatment clearly improved exercise tolerance, presumably resulting from the combined effects of GH on the muscular, cardiovascular, and pulmonary capacity.
Keywords: Adolescent; Child; exercise; Growth Hormone; hormone; Hormones; non pharmacological intervention - devices OR physiotherapy; pharmacological_intervention; Recombinant Proteins;