Peculiarities of the blood oxygen and antioxidant status in the children presenting with somatotrophic insufficiency and managed by the substitution treatment with growth hormone

The present work was designed to study the influence of therapy with recombinant growth hormone on the oxygen and antioxidant blood status in the children presenting with somatotrophic insufficiency. A total of 11 children (2 girls and 9 boys) at the age from 3 to 9 years with confirmed somatotrophic insufficiency were available for the observation. They had never before been treated with growth hormone preparations. The blood oxyhemoglobin level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased within 3 months after the onset of therapy. There is direct correlation between oxyhemoglobin levels and SDS for the growth rate (r= 0.64; p<0.05) and negative correlation between mean hemoglobin content in erythrocytes (MHCE) and SDS for the growth rate (r=-0.69), p<0.05). The results of the study suggest the close relationship between the system of growth hormone/growth factors and the morphofunctional state of erythrocytes. It is concluded that the short-term treatment of the children suffering somatotrophic insufficiency with recombinant growth hormone appears to promote the development of adaptive mechanisms.