Abstrakt
Objective: To evaluate the effect of growth, level of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and lymphocyte subsets in immunosuppressed renal allograft recipients. Methods. 18 children (aged 8.0-16.6 years) received growth hormone 1 IU/Kg/week daily for two years.
Height, IGF-I levels and in 11/18 patients, lymphocyte subsets were evaluated serially. Results.
Standardized growth velocity increased from -1.0+-1.5 to +1.2+-2.2 and standardized IGF-I levels for +0.8+-1.5 to +3.1+-1.1 (1 year) and to +1.4+-1.7 (2 years). The total lymphocyte count and the number of T lymphocytes (CD3+) decreased.
The decrease was more marked in CD8+ (from 1.5+-0.3 x 109/L to 0.9+-0.3 x 109/L, 1 year and to 0.8+-0.1 x 109/L, 2 years) compared to CD4+ (from 1.5+-0.3 x 109/L to 1.0+-0.2 x 109/L. 1 year and to 1.3+-0.2 x 109/L, 2 years), resulting in an increment of the CD4+/CD8+ index. Conclusions.
The differential effect of growth hormone treatment on CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes might be explained by different expression of the IGF-I receptor in these distinct subsets.