Studies of anabolic steroids. VI. Effect of prolonged administration of oxandrolone on growth in children and adolescents with gonadal dysgenesis.

Twenty-five patients with Turner Syndrome were treated with oxandrolone for six or more months. Mean growth velocity for the first year of treatment was significantly greater than pretreatment control growth velocity. Overall, there was no excessive skeletal maturation. Mean "final" height in nine XO patients (146.4 cm) was significantly greater than mean adult height of an estrogen-treated control group (140.3 cm), while that for five mosaic patients (148.2 cm) was not significantly different from a mean untreated mosaic adult height (145.2 cm).

Studies of anabolic steroids: v. effect of prolonged oxandrolone administration on growth in children and adolescents with uncomplicated short stature.

A total of 130 patients with uncomplicated short stature (4 to 17 years of age) were treated with oxandrolone, 0.25 mg/kg/day, for up to four years. Oxandrolone therapy resulted in a two-fold increase in mean growth velocity in the first six months of therapy and was an effective growth stimulant for the full four-year period. There was no overall adverse effect of oxandrolone on post-treatment mean growth velocity or on skeletal maturation relative to height gain. There were 37 patients with greater increase in height age than bone age and 22 patients with greater increase in bone age than height age. Assessment of the contribution of oxandrolone therapy to the latter group is difficult because of inadequate methodology and the wide variation in individual growth patterns. Taken in their entirety, the data suggest that oxandrolone is useful in the prolonged treatment of uncomplicated short stature and is not associated with undesirable acceleration of skeletal maturation.

Simulated congenital adrenal hyperplasia in a male neonate associated with medroxyprogesterone therapy during pregnancy.

PIP: A case report of stimulated congenital adrenal hyperplasia in a newborn male following a medroxyprogesterone-treated pregnancy is presented. Because of intermittent vaginal spotting, the 26-year-old multiparous mother was administered 10 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate daily from Week 20 to Week 32 of gestation. At birth the child displayed early symptoms of hyperglycemia and idiopathic hyperbilirubinemia. At 17 days of age genital hyperpigmentation and penile enlargement were noted and tests revealed hypochloremic metabolic acidosis with hyponatremia. Urinary androgens were high but glucocoritcoids and pregnanetriol were normal. Desoxycorticosterone acetate supplemental salt were administered. After 28 days of age the infant developed normally without hypoglycemia or hyponatremia and the hyperpigmentation and penile enlargement disappeared. It is speculated that the infant could have undergone temporary underproduction of gluco-and mineralocorticoid" and overproduction of androgens that was induced by the mother's medroxyprogesterone treatment. Though the evidence for such a relationship in this case in not conclusive, further study should be conducted.^ieng