Acute Pancreatitis Associated with Growth Hormone Therapy for Short Stature

Abstract

We report the occurrence of acute pancreatitis in children being treated with recombinant growth hormone for short stature. The index patient was a 12-year-old boy with pseudohypoparathyroidism who was receiving thyroxine and vitamin D. The patient was short and had biochemical evidence of growth hormone deficiency, for which he was treated with growth hormone at a dose of 0.05 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. After the sixth dose, nausea, vomiting, and severe abdominal pain developed in the absence of prodromal symptoms of infection or any history of abdominal trauma. When admitted to the hospital,.  . . © 1995, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.