Short stature and pubertal delay in male adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Androgen treatment
C. Landon and R. G. Rosenfeld
We evaluated the growth rate and pubertal status of 54 adolescent and young
adult men with cystic fibrosis and assessed the efficacy of short-term
androgen therapy in promoting growth and pubertal development. Thirty-nine
percent were below the fifth percentile in height and 8/28 (28%) between
the ages of 14 and 18 had delays in pubertal development. Five male
adolescents aged 13 years 8 months to 18 years 3 months were treated with
testosterone and their conditions were prospectively evaluated. Growth rate
increased from an entry mean of 2.2 cm/yr (range 0 to 4 cm/yr) to 7.2 cm/yr
(3 to 10 cm/yr). We conclude that a brief course of testosterone appears to
be a safe, effective means of improving growth rate in male adolescents
with cystic fibrosis with delay of puberty.
