Is growth hormone a feasible adjuvant in the treatment ofchildren after small bowel resection?

The aim of our study was to assess the metabolic consequences of short-term administrationof growth hormone in children after gut resection and influence on polyamine production in red blood cells (RBC). Twelve children aged 4–60 months were studied. All children remained on parenteral nutrition and 11 also received oral feeding. Total non-protein energy intake was 429 ± 86 kJ/kg body weight (BW)/day. Recombinant growth hormone (GH) was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 0.3 IU/kg BW/day for 10 days. Resting energy expenditure (REE; kJ/kg BW/day) was: 316.07 ± 54.08 before and 346.04 ± 54.40 during GH administration (P< 0.02), but daily weight gain before GH administration was significantly lower than during treatment. A significant increase of polyamine concentrations was observed in the RBC (spermidine: 30.1 ± 15.1 and 43.8 ± 24.9 nmol/ml packed RBC, P< 0.003; spermine: 15.6 ± 5.1 and 19.6 ± 10.6 nmol/ml packed RBC, P< 0.02) and in jejunal mucosa (spermidine: 172.10 ± 142.35 nmol/g tissue and 193.92 ± 108.15 nmol/g tissue). The authors concluded that increased polyamine concentrations in the RBC and jejunal mucosa reflect a cellular response to GH administration. The anabolic effect of GH results in higher weight gain, although increased REE may indicate increased energy requirements during GH treatment.