Effect of Body Mass Index and Blood Lipid on peak Growth Hormone Response in Children with Short Stature

Abstract Aim: Short stature is a common developmental problem in children. Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a common type, and its diagnosis depends on growth hormone stimulation tests. However, there are few studies on the effects of body mass index (BMI) and blood lipid on the peak GH in a growth hormone stimulating test. Methods: In this retrospective study, we enrolled 128 children with short stature between October 2018 and October 2022, analyzed the influence of BMI and blood lipid on the peak results of drug stimulation test in children with short stature. Results: The results showed that peak GH was negatively correlated with BMI and waist circumference. IGF-1 was positively correlated with peak GH. TC, TG, HDLC and LDLC were negatively correlated with peak GH in children with short stature when LH>0.3IU/L, while IGF-BP3 was positively correlated with peak GH in children when LH<0.83IU/L. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that waist circumference, BMI, IGF-1, TC and TG were the influencing factors of peak GH. The growth hormone deficiency (GHD) incidence significantly increased with the elevated BMI SDS. Our study indicated that waist circumference, BMI, IGF-1, TC, and TG are the influencing factors of GH peak, and the correlation of various indicators differs with the different pubertal stages in the clonidine-insulin combined provocation test. Conclusion: Thus, the influence of waist circumference, BMI, IGF-1, TC, TG and pubertal status should be fully considered when interpretating the provocative test results.