Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Dec;19(4):208-13.
doi: 10.6065/apem.2014.19.4.208. Epub 2014 Dec 31.

Relationship between serum insulin-like growth factor-1, IGF binding protein-3 levels and body height before and after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist therapy

Han Sol Song  1 , Won Bok Choi  1 , Joon Sup Song  1 , Il Tae Hwang  1 , Seung Yang  1
Affiliations

Relationship between serum insulin-like growth factor-1, IGF binding protein-3 levels and body height before and after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist therapy

Han Sol Song et al. Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: The gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) is widely used to treat patients with precocious puberty. However, its effect on growth is often difficult to predict because of the diverse nature of its causes and presentation. This study aims to show the impact of GnRHa treatment on insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) secretion, growth, and on other parameters that may help estimate the height velocity.

Methods: Data from 60 girls (mean age, 8.8±0.7 years) treated with GnRHa were analyzed. Their height, bone age (BA), serum IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 concentrations were measured at the start and after a year of GnRHa treatment. To eliminate the confounding effect of chronological age (CA), the standard deviation scores (SDSs) of their height, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 concentrations according to their CA at the start and after a year of GnRHa treatment were calculated. We looked for possible correlations between these variables and compared the subgroups based on their height velocities and midparental heights.

Results: During their one-year GnRHa therapy, height SDS for CA significantly decreased to 0.81±0.83 (P<0.001), but height SDS for BA increased to -0.28±0.68 (P<0.001). There was no significant change in serum IGF-I SDS, IGFBP-3 SDS, and IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio. The advanced BA was the factor most strongly correlated to the height velocity (R=0.265, P=0.041).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that GnRHa treatment may affect the height velocity due to mechanisms other than suppression of the IGF-I and IGFBP-3 secretory axis.

Keywords: Body height; Insulin-like growth factor I; Precocious puberty.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Scatter plot of the relationship between the changes in the IGF-I SDS and the height SDS during the GnRHa treatment. IGF-I, insulin-like growth factor I; SDS, standard deviation score; GnRHa, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Scatter plot of the relationship between the changes in the IGF-I:IGFBP-3 ratio and the height SDS during the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment. IGF-I, insulin-like growth factor I; IGFBP-3, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3; SDS, standard deviation score.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Grumbach MM, Styne DM. Puberty : ontogeny, neuroendocrinology, physiology, and disorders. In: Wilson JD, Foster DW, Kronenberg HM, Larsen PR, editors. Williams textbook of endocrinology. 9th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 1998. pp. 1509–1625.
    1. Chalumeau M, Chemaitilly W, Trivin C, Adan L, Breart G, Brauner R. Central precocious puberty in girls: an evidence-based diagnosis tree to predict central nervous system abnormalities. Pediatrics. 2002;109:61–67. - PubMed
    1. Mogensen SS, Aksglaede L, Mouritsen A, Sorensen K, Main KM, Gideon P, et al. Diagnostic work-up of 449 consecutive girls who were referred to be evaluated for precocious puberty. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96:1393–1401. - PubMed
    1. Kim HK, Kee SJ, Seo JY, Yang EM, Chae HJ, Kim CJ. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test for precocious puberty. Korean J Lab Med. 2011;31:244–249. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Weise M, De-Levi S, Barnes KM, Gafni RI, Abad V, Baron J. Effects of estrogen on growth plate senescence and epiphyseal fusion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001;98:6871–6876. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources