The Crucial Role of Body Mass Index on Growth Hormone Stimulation Tests in Children: An Exploration of Potential Gender-Related Differences

The aim of the study was to investigate whether there are any gender-related differences in growth hormone stimulation test (GHST) in prepubertal short children, with a particular emphasis on body mass index (BMI). Prepubertal patients who had two unprimed GHST using clonidine and L-dopa were included in this retrospective study. The anthropometrics and laboratory parameters were evaluated. Patients were categorized based on their peak growth hormone (GH) levels (GH <7 versus ≥7 ng/mL), stimulant agent, and gender. A total of 125 children (Male:Female = 75:50) were included. The mean age of the patients was 7.1 ± 3.0 years. lg-peak clonidine stimulated GH was associated with BMI standard deviation score (SDS) (β [95% CI] = 1.903 [1.665-2.140], <i>P</i> = .003) in females, and with IGF-SDS in males (β [95% CI] = 1.124 [0.910-1.339], <i>P</i> = .026). lg-peak L-dopa stimulated GH was associated with BMI SDS and IGF1-SDS (β [95% CI] = 1.327 [0.968-1.686], <i>P</i> = .009) in females. The blunted effect of BMI showed gender-related differences in the prepubertal pediatric patients.