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Serum Aminoterminal Propeptide of Type III Procollagen: A Potential Predictor of the Response to Growth Hormone Therapy^*

Department of Pediatrics (P.T., M.K., M.-L.K.) and Collagen Research Unit, Biocenter and Department of Medical Biochemistry (L.R., J.R.), University of Oulu Oulu, Finland

Address correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Päivi Tapanainen, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Kajaanintie 52 A, SF-90220 Oulu, Finland.

The circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and immunoreactive aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) were measured in 12 children with short stature (8 GH deficient and 4 non-GH deficient) before and after 1 week, 5 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment with biosynthetic hGH. Seven children had a growth response (increase in relative growth velocity >1.5 SD during the initial 6 months) to GH therapy (responders), whereas 5 failed to respond (nonresponders). No relationship was found between the pretreatment plasma IGF-I levels or their changes during therapy and the growth response. Serum PIIINP levels increased considerably in all but 3 children, after as little as 1 week of GH administration. After 5 weeks, all responders had an increase in their serum PIIINP concentrations of 40% or more, whereas the nonresponders had less or no increments. There was a close correlation between the GH-induced increase in serum PIIINP levels at 5 weeks and growth velocity after 6 months of GH therapy (r=0.77; P<0.01). The correlation was even stronger with the growth velocity at 12 months (r=0.83; P<0.001). The serum PIIINP response to short-term GH administration could be an early predictor of the growth response to long-term GH therapy. In contrast to plasma IGF-I, the PIIINP response may be useful both in GH deficient and non-GH deficient children.

^* This study was supported in part by grants from the Medical Research Council of Finland (to L.R. and J.R.) and the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation (to P.T. and M.K.).

Received April 26, 1988.

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