Long-Term Mortality after Recombinant Growth Hormone Treatment for Isolated Growth Hormone Deficiency or Childhood Short Stature: Preliminary Report of the French SAGhE Study

TLDR: Mortality rates were increased in this population of adults treated as children with recombinant GH, particularly in those who had received the highest doses, highlighting the need for additional studies of long-term mortality and morbidity after GH treatment in childhood.

Abstract: Context: Little is known about the long-term health of subjects treated with GH in childhood, and Safety and Appropriateness of Growth hormone treatments in Europe (SAGhE) is a study addressing this question. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the long-term mortality of patients treated with recombinant GH in childhood in France. Design: This was a population-based cohort study. Setting: The setting of the study was a French population-based register. Participants: A total of 6928 children with idiopathic isolated GH deficiency (n = 5162), neurosecretory dysfunction (n = 534), idiopathic short stature (n = 871), or born short for gestational age (n = 335) who started treatment between 1985 and 1996 participated in the study. Follow-up data on vital status were available in September 2009 for 94.7% of the patients. Main outcome measures: All-cause and cause-specific mortality was measured in the study. Results: All-cause mortality was increased in treated subjects [standardized mortality...