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Clinical Trial
. 2002 Apr;34(4):567-72.
doi: 10.1097/00005768-200204000-00001.

Effect of growth hormone on exercise tolerance in children with cystic fibrosis

Matthias Hütler  1 , Dirk Schnabel, Doris Staab, Albrecht Tacke, Ulrich Wahn, Dieter Böning, Ralph Beneke
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effect of growth hormone on exercise tolerance in children with cystic fibrosis

Matthias Hütler et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: The effect of growth hormone (GH) treatment on exercise tolerance in children with cystic fibrosis was investigated.

Methods: 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) were randomly assigned to either 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, and then assigned to the other period for the next 6 months. 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.

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).

Conclusion: GH treatment clearly improved exercise tolerance, presumably resulting from the combined effects of GH on the muscular, cardiovascular, and pulmonary capacity.

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