Efficacy of Different Initial Doses of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone in Children with Idiopathic Short Stature

XU Ling

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-437X.2026.15.026

Abstract：Objective To compare the growth-promoting effects of different initial doses of recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)in children with idiopathic short stature(ISS),and to provide evidence for optimizing initial dosing regimens in clinical practice.Methods A total of 60 children with ISS admitted to Xinyang People's Hospital from December 2019 to December 2023 were enrolled and randomly assigned to control group or observation group,with 30 cases in each group.The control group received rhGH at an initial daily dose of 0.15 IU·kg-1,while the observation group received 0.20 IU·kg-1,with subsequent dose adjustments according to growth response over a 1-year treatment period.Height,bone age and growth velocity were assessed before and after treatment.Serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH),free triiodothyronine(FT3)and free thyroxine(FT4)were measured.Adverse events were documented throughout the treatment period.Results Height,bone age and growth velocity increased in both groups after treatment,with significantly greater improvements observed in the observation group(P＜0.05).No significant differences in serum TSH,FT3 or FT4 levels were found within either group before and after treatment,nor between the two groups at each time point(P＞0.05).The overall incidence of adverse events in the observation group was slightly higher than that in the control group,but the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion An initial rhGH dose of 0.20 IU·kg-1·d-1 is more effective than 0.15 IU·kg-1·d-1 in promoting linear growth in children with ISS,without obvious interference with thyroid function.Long-term follow-up is warranted to confirm its safety and impact on adult height.