Height achieved in response to rhGH administration is shown for the
whole group of adolescents in Table 2 and Fig. 1. Themean dose of rhGH
was 72.5 ± 9 μg/kg·d. Treatment was stopped when the growth velocity
stood below 5 mm in 3 months (N = 12) or when height had
reached 169 cm (N = 3). Treatment ended at 16.3 ± 1.1 years of age
(range 13.8–17.9 years), 11.1±4.8 months after its onset. Adult height
measured 1–4 years later was 164.4 ± 5.6 cm (−1.8 ± 0.9 SDS). Adult
height predicted by our algorithmwas 157.6±3.7 cm(−2.9±0.6 SDS,
P = 4 × 10−4). From rhGH onset, height increment (HI) was 8.5 ±
3.7 cm(range 0.6–16.6 cm). True adult height exceeded PAH by a height
gain (HG) of 6.8 ± 4.8 cm (P = 9 × 10−3) (range −1.45 to 15.8 cm)
(95% CI 3.1–10.5 cm). Individual values for final adult height and expected
adult height according to prediction are shown in Fig. 3. HI and
HG were closely correlated (HI = 1.0 HG + 1.83, R = 0.95, P =
5.3 × 10−8) (Supplemental Fig. 1). The individual responses to rhGH
were highly variable since 5/15 (33%) of the adolescents gained less
than 4 cm (1.5 ± 1.5 cm), 5/15 (33%) gained 5–7.5 cm and 5/15 (33%)
gained 9.3–15.8 cm. Among the 10 subjects whose KS was ≤3, nine
gained more than 4 cm.