Effects of exogenous growth hormone on growth plate cartilage in rats
E. B. Rappaport, P. Snoy, W. H. Habig and R. W. Bright
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) occurs with greater frequency in
children with growth hormone deficiency than in children in the general
population. This epidemiologic observation suggests that SCFE may be a
complication of growth hormone deficiency, associated pituitary hormone
deficiencies, growth hormone therapy, or a combination of these factors. To
clarify the relationship of growth hormone treatment to SCFE, homologous
growth hormone was administered to rats that were without growth hormone
deficiency. This treatment was found to alter the material properties of
the growth plate, increasing material stiffness and decreasing specific
energy-absorptive capacity. Such material changes render the growth plate
more susceptible to injury or separation. The observed effects of growth
hormone on the growth plates of intact animals suggest that children
without growth hormone deficiency who are treated with growth hormone may
be at increased risk for growth plate separation. The experimental data
also indicate that growth hormone treatment of children with this
deficiency may contribute to the observed increased frequency of SCFE among
these patients.
