Pediatria pre prax 1/2015

The effectiveness of treatment with recombinant growth hormone in children with chronic kidney disease

Growth retardation is common and early complication of chronic kidney disease in childhood. The causes are multifactorial including nutritional, metabolic and hormonal disturbances. As primary endocrine patomechanism is considered a resistance of target organs to endogenous circulating growth hormone and functional deficit of IGF-I. Growth retardation is recognized even in early stages of chronic renal failure and persists despite an adequate treatment of accompanying uremic complications. Recombinant growth hormone effectively stimulates the growth during a whole period of childhood and/or stages of renal failure including kidney transplant. Growth retardation is a long-term challenge in management of children with chronic kidney disease.

Keywords: growth retardation, renal failure, recombinant growth hormone.