Intelligence and psychosocial functioning during long-term growth hormone therapy in children born small for gestational age.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over), published as a randomized controlled trial.

Short stature is not the only problem faced by small for gestational age (SGA) children.

Although GH treatment in short children born SGA can result in a normalization of height during childhood, the effect of GH treatment on intelligence and psychosocial functioning remains to be investigated.

Who Took Part

The study group was 53 children.

The age groups tagged for this paper are children, both men and women.

IQ was assessed by a short-form Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Block-design and Vocabulary subtests).

Behavioral problems were measured by the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist or Young Adult Behavior Checklist, and self-perception was measured by the Harter Self-Perception Profile.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and parallel-group study.

The children were allocated by chance, so the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the children nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over), so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

The Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) group and the comparison group ran side by side rather than switching.

What Was Measured

Mean (sem) birth length sd score was -3.6 (0.2), mean age and height at start was 7.4 (0.2) yr and -3.0 (0.1) sd score, respectively, mean duration of GH treatment was 8.0 (0.2) yr, and mean age in 2001 was 16.5 (0.3) yr.

The subject headings attached to it are Body Height, Child Behavior, Head, Human Growth Hormone, Infant, Small for Gestational Age, Intelligence and Self Concept.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and parallel-group study of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) in 53 children.

The publication is from 2004 (The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) compound page, all human trials.