Adult height and health-related quality of life in patients born small for gestational age treated with recombinant growth hormone

• Published in: Scientific reports 2023-02, Vol.13 (1), p.3135-3135, Article 3135
• Main Authors: Rodrígez, José Manuel Rial, Toda, Lourdes Ibañez, López, Ignacio Díez, Muñoz, Jordi Bosch, Fresno, Luis Salamanca, Hernández, Eugenio Fernández, de Arriba Muñoz, Antonio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/477; 692/308; 692/700; Adult; Adults; Age; Body height; Body Height - drug effects; Cognitive ability; Gestational age; Growth Disorders - drug therapy; Growth Disorders - etiology; Growth Disorders - psychology; Growth hormones; Human Growth Hormone - therapeutic use; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Small for Gestational Age - growth & development; Infant, Small for Gestational Age - psychology; Mental health; multidisciplinary; Patients; Puberty; Quality of Life; Recombinant Proteins - therapeutic use; Retrospective Studies; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Small for gestational age
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30281-z

Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is a relevant result when assessing the course of different pathologies and the efficacy of their treatments. HRQoL has been studied previously on adults born small for gestational age (SGA), both in the general population and in patients who had received recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment, with disparate results. Our study included 50 adults who had received rhGH treatment for the SGA indication in 4 Spanish hospitals. Data have been gathered retrospectively from their clinical records, current weight and height were measured, and patients have been asked to fill out SF-36 and QoLAGHDA quality of life forms, and the Graffar test to evaluate their socio-economical status. Patient’s adult height was – 1.2 ± 0.9 SD, lower than their target height of 1 ± 0.8 SD, but gaining 1.7 ± 1 SD from the beginning of the treatment. SF-36 test results showed lower scoring on Mental Health domains than on those related to Physical Health. No correlation was found between HRQoL results and final height, rhGH treatment duration or puberty. Correlation was indeed found between QoLAGHDA and several domains of SF-36, but QoLAGHDA detected fewer patients with low HRQoL than SF-36. Thus, it is concluded that SGA patient’s follow-up should include a HRQoL, neuro-cognitive and psychiatric assessment in their transition to adult age. Adult SGA patients without catch up growth have impaired HRQoL, especially in mental health domains.