Effect of zinc supplementation on growth hormone-insulin growth factor axis in short Egyptian children with zinc deficiency

• Published in: Italian journal of pediatrics 2012-05, Vol.38 (1), p.21-21
• Main Authors: Hamza, Rasha T, Hamed, Amira I, Sallam, Mahmoud T
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Body Height; Case-Control Studies; Child; Children & youth; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Drug dosages; Egypt - epidemiology; Egyptian; Enzymes; Female; Glucose; Growth Disorders - blood; Growth Disorders - epidemiology; Growth hormone; Growth Hormone - blood; Hospitals; Humans; Hypothyroidism; Insulin; Insulin growth factor-1; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 - blood; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - metabolism; Male; Medicine; Pathology; Pediatrics; Prospective Studies; Statistical analysis; Statistics, Nonparametric; Studies; Zinc; Zinc - blood; Zinc - deficiency; Zinc - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 1824-7288; 1720-8424; 1824-7288
• DOI: 10.1186/1824-7288-38-21

The relationship between zinc (Zn) and growth hormone-insulin growth factor (GH-IGF) system and how Zn therapy stimulates growth in children has not been clearly defined in humans. Thus, we aimed to assess GH-IGF axis in short children with Zn deficiency and to investigate the effect of Zn supplementation on these parameters. Fifty pre-pubertal Egyptian children with short stature and Zn deficiency were compared to 50 age-, sex-, and pubertal stage- matched controls. All subjects were subjected to history, auxological assessment and measurement of serum Zn, IGF-1, insulin growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3); and basal and stimulated GH before and 3 months after Zn supplementation (50 mg/day). After 3 months of Zn supplementation in Zn-deficient patients, there were significant increases in height standard deviation score (SDS, P = 0.033), serum Zn (P < 0.001), IGF-1 (P < 0.01), IGF-1 standard deviation score (SDS, P < 0.01) and IGFBP-3 (P = 0.042). Zn rose in all patients but reached normal ranges in 64 %, IGF-1 levels rose in 60 % but reached normal ranges in 40 % and IGFBP-3 levels rose in 40 % but reached reference ranges in 22 %. Growth velocity (GV) SDS did not differ between cases and controls (p = 0.15) but was higher in GH-deficient patients than non-deficient ones, both having Zn deficiency (p = 0.03). Serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels were low in short children with Zn deficiency, and increased after Zn supplementation for 3 months but their levels were still lower than the normal reference ranges in most children; therefore, Zn supplementation may be necessary for longer periods.