RESUMO
The treatment of growth hormone deficiency requires human growth hormone administration. Recently biosynthetic growth hormone has been developed by means of the recombinant DNA technic and the first clinic tests seem to be very promising. In order to evaluate the efficacy and security of the synthetic hormone in growth hormone deficient mexican children, nine children received methionyl-somatotropin (Somatonorm, Kabi Vitrum) for 12 months, there was an increment on the growth rate, from 3.3 +/- 0.7 mm/month before treatment to 7.5 +/- 2.7 mm/month during treatment. There were not secondary reactions. Low titres of antisomatotropin antibodies wer developed in four patients with a binding capacity not enough to interfere with the hormone activity.