Abstract
Forty-one children <5 years of age at kidney transplantation (TX) were investigated for growth, bone age, and renal function up to 7 years (n=26) after TX. All children received triple immunosuppression, including alternate-day corticosteroid treatment. Catch-up growth was seen in 81% of 30 children without growth hormone (GH) treatment. Children <2 years of age without GH had a mean height standard deviation score (hSDS) of –1.1±0.8 at TX and –1.1±0.5 at 7 years; children between 2 and 5 years improved their hSDS from –1.9±0.9 to –0.4±0.8 (P<0.0001). The hSDS at TX correlated inversely with the ΔhSDS from TX to 7 years (r=–0.80, P=0.0002). Glomerular filtrations rate (GFR) at 5 years post TX correlated with the subsequent growth rate from 5 to 7 years TX (r=0.58, P=0.01). Catch-up growth was seen in all 11 children receiving GH. Their mean hSDS improved from –2.5±0.9 to –1.1±0.9 (P<0.0001). In the majority of children receiving a kidney graft in early life, triple immunosuppression with alternate-day steroids can ensure catch-up growth. In children <5 years of age at TX, growth is predicted better by the degree of stunting than by age.
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Received: 9 September 2001 / Revised: 2 January 2002 / Accepted: 4 January 2002
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Qvist, E., Marttinen, E., Rönnholm, K. et al. Growth after renal transplantation in infancy or early childhood. Pediatr Nephrol 17, 438–443 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-002-0850-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-002-0850-1