Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: To compare final height and late metabolic outcomes depending on oestrogen replacement initiation in Turner syndrome (TS).

Subjects: Women with TS ≥18 years retrospectively treated with GH and oestrogen.

Methods: Records of 117 women with TS from database of Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences were analysed. 71 did not matched the inclusion criteria; 46 patients were enrolled and divided into two groups: early oestrogen group (eE) – EI before 15 years (n=27, EI at a median of 13 years, range from 13 to 14 years) and delayed oestrogen group (dE) – EI ≥15 years (n=19, EI at a median of 16 years, range 16–18 years). Final height, height gain, BMI, fasting glucose, blood pressure, and bone density was compared between the groups.

Results: GH treatment was started at a median age of 11 years (range 9–12 years) in the eE and of 15 years (range 9.25–16.75 years) in the dE group (P=0.005). The final height was similar in both groups: median of 153 cm (range 148–156 cm) in the eE and 152 cm (range 47–155 cm) in the dE (P=0.655). The height before EI in the eE group was −2.26 and −2.90 SDS in dE group (P=0.055). Height gain was greater (P<0.05) in eE (median 11 cm, range 7.1–15 cm) than in dE (median 5.25 cm, range 2.5–8.1 cm) group. No significant differences in metabolic parameters have been identified between the groups (mean age 27±5.6 years).

Conclusion: Puberty induction at a physiological age does not have negative effect on final height in TS patients, providing earlier start of oestrogen treatment. No relation between oestrogen initiation time and metabolic parameters during later life span had been found.