Effects of nightly clonidine administration on growth velocity in short children without growth hormone deficiency: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Children with short stature, slowed linear growth velocity, and delayed skeletal maturation may secrete growth hormone (GH) normally in response to provocative stimuli but may also have spontaneous undersecretion of GH.

Orally administered clonidine, an alpha 2-adrenergic agonist, is a potent acute stimulator of growth hormone releasing hormone-mediated pituitary GH release.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 7 patients were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are children, men only.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

Because people in this Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

As a double-blind Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some patients received a placebo instead of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over), giving a reference point.

Each person switched between Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.

What Was Measured

Results of 6 months of clonidine therapy were compared with the results of 6 months of placebo therapy; GH responsiveness was subsequently assessed in 7 of 10 patients.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Age Determination by Skeleton, Body Height, Bone Development, Clonidine, Growth, Growth Disorders and Growth Hormone.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) in 7 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1993 (The Journal of pediatrics), a journal based in United States.

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