CLINICAL FEATURES OF GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY IN CHILDREN

The pathological growth takes one of the leading places in the structure of endocrine pathologies. In contemporary literature the clinical and hormonal-metabolic features of the most studied causes of growth retardation such as growth hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism, skeletal dysplasia, psychosocial disorders and chromosomal anomalies are widely discussed. The incidence of growth retardation due to growth hormone deficiency varies from 1: 4000 to 1: 10000 new-borns. Growth retardation is more typical for men. Children with growth hormone deficiency have combined clinical, anthropometric, radiologic, hormonal, genetic and metabolic changes. Causes of growth hormone deficiency syndrome are either total or partial deficiency of growth hormone or secretion of pathological growth hormone and decreased levels of growth factors. The gene engineering method of creating recombinant growth hormone (somatotropine) made a real revolution in the treatment of children with different forms of short stature and gave the opportunity to the patients to receive permanent replacement therapy for reaching normal height.