Turner Syndrome


Studies from National Institutes of Health yield new information about syndrome



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This article was published in Cardiovascular Week, which you can subscribe to online.
2007 SEP 3 -- Researchers in the United States conducted a study "To determine whether cardiac dimensions were different in girls with Turner syndrome (TS) who received growth hormone (GH) compared with those who did not receive GH. Study design This retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed echocardiograms in 86 females with TS divided into GH-treated (n = 67) and untreated (n = 19) groups."

"The sub jects all participated in the National Institutes of Health protocol between 2001 and 2006. Results The average age was 16.2 years (range, 10 to 25 years), and average duration of GH treatment was 4.4 years (range, 1 to 14 years). The GH-treated group was taller by similar to 7 cin (P =.004), but cardiac dimensions normalized to body surface area (BSA), including septal and posterior wall thickness, and left ventricular (LV) mass and internal diameters, did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. The fractional shortening index was similar in the 2 groups," wrote L.A. Matura and colleagues, National Institutes of Health.

The researchers concluded: "Multiple regression analyses indicated that BSA, but not duration of GH treatment, predicted LV dimensions in girls with TS. GH treatment of girls with TS increases stature but does not disproportionately affect cardiac dimensions."

Matura and colleagues published the results of their research in the Journal of Pediatrics (Growth hormone treatment and left ventricular dimensions in Turner syndrome. Journal of Pediatrics, 2007;150(6):587-591).

For additional information, contact L.A. Matura, NICHHD, Development Endocrinol Branch, National Institutes of Health, CRC 1-330, 10 Center Dr., Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

The publisher of the Journal of Pediatrics can be contacted at: Mosby-Elsevier, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-1710, USA.

Keywords: United States, Bethesda, Cardiology, Hormones, Syndrome, National Institutes of Health.

This article was prepared by Cardiovascular Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Cardiovascular Week via NewsRx.com.