Abstract: Objective To analyze the changes of serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels before and after recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment in short stature children. Methods A total of 63 short children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) or idiopathic short stature (ISS) and 27 healthy controls were selected as subjects. The ADMA level, height standard deviation score (HtSDS), blood lipid, glucose metabolism parameters, atherogenic index (Ai), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) and other indexes before treatment were observed. They were compared with the indexes 6 and 12 months after rhGH treatment as well as those of healthy children. Results There were 30 children in GHD group, 33 children in ISS group and 27 children in control group. Before treatment, The LDL-C and ADMA levels in GHD group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). The level of Ai in GHD and ISS groups was higher than that in control group, while the level of IGF-1 was lower than that in control group, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). After 6 and 12 months of rhGH treatment, the levels of HtSDS and IGF-1 in children with GHD and ISS were higher than those before treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P before treatment (P<0.05). The ADMA level of ISS children 12 months after treatment was lower than that before and 6 months after treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0 . 05 ). Conclusions The level of ADMA in children with GHD is significantly higher than that in healthy children, suggesting that the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is increased in children with short stature, especially in children with GHD. The rhGH replacement therapy for 12 months can effectively reduce ADMA level and improve lipid profile in short stature children, which may reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to a certain extent.

Key words: growth hormone deficiency; idiopathic short stature; asymmetric dimethylarginine, recombinant human growth hormone; cardiovascular disease; arteriosclerosis