MON-215 Metabolic changes after growth hormone treatment in children with growth hormone deficiency and small for gestational age: LG observational study (LGS)

Abstract Disclosure: E. Hwang: None. S. Kim: None. J. Kim: None. S. Kim: None. Y. Choi: None. E. Lee: None. H. Chae: None. J. Suh: None. Objective: Children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and born small for gestational age (SGA) can lead to significant growth and metabolic issues. Growth hormone (GH) treatment is known to promote linear growth and improve metabolic parameters in these patients. However, the long-term metabolic effects of GH treatment in children with GHD and SGA require further research. This study aims to investigate the metabolic changes after GH treatment in children with GHD and SGA. Methods: The study included total 1788 patients out of 1470 patients with GHD and 424 patients with SGA from LG observational study, who had data on growth status and metabolic parameters before and after at least one year of GH treatment. Data on age, gender, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and various biochemical markers before and after therapy were collected. Results: The age of initiating GH treatment was 7.3±2.8 years (GHD: 7.4±2.9 years; SGA: 6.6±2.5 years), with an average treatment duration of 3.8±1.3 years. In both GHD and SGA patients, height SDS and weight SDS increased significantly during GH treatment. BMI-SDS significantly decreased in the first year for both GHD and SGA patients. However, in the SGA group, BMI-SDS showed positive improvement from the second through the fifth year (p<0.01). Regarding metabolic parameters, AST levels significantly decreased over the five-year GH treatment period in both groups (p<0.01). ALT levels also showed a significant decrease in all follow-up years in the GHD group (p<0.01) and in the 1st (p=0.04), 2nd (p=0.01), and 3rd years (p=0.01) in the SGA group. Total cholesterol levels decreased in both groups (p<0.01). Glucose levels increased significantly in both groups, while HbA1c levels showed a significant increase only in the first year in the GHD group (p<0.01). Conclusion: These findings highlight that growth hormone treatment in children with GHD and SGA has a positive effect not only on growth parameters but also on metabolic aspects. Presentation: Monday, July 14, 2025