Impact of growth hormone treatment on scoliosis development and progression: analysis of 1128 patients with idiopathic short stature

Every year, the Italian Scoliosis Study Group selects the best published papers on conservative spine treatment from the global scientific literature.
Here is the abstract from one of these papers. 

Impact of growth hormone treatment on scoliosis development and progression: analysis of 1128 patients with idiopathic short stature
Se-Jun Park , Keun-Ho Lee , Chong-Suh Lee , Ki-Tack Kim , Jun Hyuk Jang , Dae Hun Shin , Min Sun Kim , Jiyeon Kim , Sung Yoon Cho , Dong-Kyu Jin 
PMID: 33180047DOI: 10.1515/jpem-2020-0393

Abstract

Objectives
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on the development and progression of scoliosis in patients with idiopathic short stature (ISS).
Methods
Patients with ISS who underwent rhGH treatment from 1997 to 2017 and were followed up for scoliosis screening with serial radiographic examination were included. For assessing scoliosis development, patients who did not have scoliosis at the time of rhGH treatment were included and followed up to determine whether de novo scoliosis developed during the treatment. For evaluating scoliosis progression, patients who already had scoliosis were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses of demographic and radiographic variables were performed to determine the related factors in the development and progression of scoliosis.
Results
For assessing scoliosis development, 1093 patients were included. The average duration of rhGH treatment was about 2 years. De novo scoliosis developed in 32 patients (3.7%). The analysis revealed that sex (p=0.016) and chronological age (p=0.048) were statistically significant factors associated with scoliosis development. However, no relationship was observed between scoliosis development and rhGH treatment types or duration. Among 67 patients who already had scoliosis at the time of rhGH treatment, 11 (16.4%) showed scoliosis progression. However, the rhGH types and duration also did not affect scoliosis progression.
Conclusions
De novo scoliosis developed in 3.7% and scoliosis progressed in 16.4% of the patients during rhGH treatment. However, scoliosis development or progression was not affected by the types or duration of rhGH treatment in patients with ISS.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33180047/