Endocrine Abstracts

Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS) is a term given to children who are born with a normal birth weight and length who have short stature with no identifiable cause. ISS defined as a height standard deviation score (SDS) ≥2 below the corresponding mean height for age, sex, and population, and no identifiable pathological cause following evaluation. It affects an estimated 2.5% of the general population and is challenging to diagnose and manage. In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of recombinant human growth hormone (hGH) for children with ISS with a height of 2.25 SDS below the mean (~< 1.2nd height centile). hGH therapy was subsequently approved for the treatment of ISS in US, Canada, and Latin America, but not in the European Union or the UK. More than two decades later, use of hGH therapy for ISS remains a subject of ongoing discussion as ISS is not universally accepted as an indication for hGH treatment. This debate will highlight the issues in favour (Prof Justin Davies) and against (Prof Helen Storr) the use of hGH for ISS with the aim of informing and promoting discussions of the use of hGH for growth management.