EVALUATION OF VITAMIN D3 AND ZINC LEVELS IN IRAQI CHILDREN WITH GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY AND THEIR RELATION WITH OTHER BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is suspected in subjects with short stature (SS) and decreased growth velocity in whom other causes of low growth have been excluded. The growth hormone itself has a direct stimulatory action on the production of vitamin D3. Both vitamin D and growth hormone metabolism influences each other. Zinc level also plays an essential regulator of bone growth and potential growth pathway. A total of 50 children aging 4-12 years old with growth hormone deficiency have participated in this study. They were compared with 38 healthy children as a control group. This study was conducted during the period from September 2019 to June 2020. The patients were attending the National Diabetic Center/ AL-Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq. Growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1, thyroid function test, cortisol level, vitamin D3, zinc level, fasting blood sugar, and lipid profile were measured in children with growth hormone deficiency. A nonsignificant difference was found in basal growth hormone between patients of growth hormone deficiency and control. There was a highly significant decrease in growth hormone level after 1 hour (provocation with clonidine) (p 0.001) and a significant decreased in growth hormone level after 1:30 hours (provocation with clonidine) (p 0.01) in patients of growth hormone deficiency compared to the control group. Also, it was observed a highly significant decrease (p 0.001) of insulin-like growth factor-1 levels in growth hormone deficiency patients when compared to control. It was also observed that there was a significant decrease (p 0.001) in the levels of Zn and vitamin D in patients with growth hormone deficiency compared to the control in addition to the distribution of the levels of vitamin D and Zinc have increased more in women than in men. It can be concluded that there was a highly significant decrease in vitamin D and Zn levels in patients with growth hormone deficiency compared to the control group. The deficiency of vitamin D and zinc levels may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of growing children with a growth hormone disorder.