Growth hormone for people with thalassaemia

Patient or population: people with thalassaemia (any age)
Setting: any
Intervention: growth hormone therapy
Comparison: no growth hormone or standard care

Final height and change in height

The included trial did not assess either of these outcomes.

Adverse effects

Oral glucose tolerance test (mg/dL)

(at one year)

‐

20
(1 RCT)

⊕⊕⊕⊝
MODERATE ¹

Fasting blood glucose levels in the growth hormone group were significantly higher than in the control group but both were still within the normal range.

Height SDS
(at one year)

‐

20
(1 RCT)

⊕⊕⊕⊝
MODERATE ¹

Change in height SDS

(difference between baseline and final visit at one year)

‐

20
(1 RCT)

⊕⊕⊕⊝
MODERATE ¹

Height velocity

(cm/year)

‐

20
(1 RCT)

⊕⊕⊕⊝
MODERATE ¹

Height velocity SDS

‐

20
(1 RCT)

⊕⊕⊕⊝
MODERATE ¹

Change in height velocity SDS (difference between baseline and final visit at one year)

‐

20
(1 RCT)

⊕⊕⊕⊝
MODERATE ¹

*The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).

CI: confidence interval; MD: mean difference; RCT: randomised controlled trial; SDS: standard deviation score

GRADE Working Group grades of evidence
High quality: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect.
Moderate quality: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate; the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different.
Low quality: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited; the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect.
Very low quality: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate; the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect.