comparison of continuous versus intermittent administration of triptorelin on the final height of girls with idiopathic precocious puberty

Background:it has long been reported that gonadotropin releasing hormone (gnrh) analogs can improve final height of patients with idiopathic precocious puberty (ipp). this study aimed at comparing 2 different doses of gnrh agonist, triptorelin, on the adult height of girls with ipp. methods:from july 2013, sixteen girls with ipp were randomly divided to 2 groups. the first group received 1 intramuscular injection of triptorelin 0.3 mg/kg of body weight on a monthly basis, and the second group received this at months 1 to 6, 10 to 15, and 19 to 24. they did not receive triptorelin at months 7 to 9 and 16 to 18. results:patients in group 1 received a total of 7.2 mg/kg of triptorelin during a 2year follow up while the group 2 received 5.4 mg/kg triptorelin or about 39.6 mg less than the other group during the same period of follow up. no side effects were noted in group 2 receiving lower dose of triptorelin, yet, 2 cases with gray hair and 1 case with mild rash were reported in the group receiving the higher dose. no statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups regarding height after 2 years. conclusions:treatment of ipp can be performed with triptorelin doses of less than 0.3 mg/kg per month, with the same height increment and lower side effects.