Lymphoid tissue overgrowth may occur, including enlarged tonsils/adenoids (which may require tonsillectomy), snoring, and middle-ear effusion (which occasionally requires tympanostomy tube placement). Headaches While some

headaches may be associated with normal childhood illnesses, we advise parents to report any prolonged, unusual headaches to their healthcare professional as soon as possible in order to allow the child to be evaluated for possible intracranial PRT062607 hypertension. Craniofacial growth, sometimes with coarsening of facial features, may occur during treatment with IGF-1. The results appear to soften with time, especially after completion of linear growth and subsequent click here discontinuation of mecasermin. [10, 14] This coarsening is due to soft tissue growth VE-821 mouse and does not represent bony overgrowth, such as is seen in acromegaly [14]. Obesity is well-recognized in pubertal and adult patients with untreated Laron syndrome, and the relationship of obesity to mecasermin treatment is not clear [16]. 4.3 Dose of Mecasermin The FDA-approved

initial dosing is from 0.04 to 0.08 mg/kg/dose twice daily given for at least 1 week [6]. If the initial dose is well-tolerated, the dose is increased by 0.04 mg/kg/dose, up to a maximum of 0.12 mg/kg/dose. It is important to achieve a stable therapeutic dose as quickly as possible (ideally within 1 month), as both first-year growth and long-term outcomes are best at doses ≥0.1 mg/kg/dose given twice daily [10]. Younger children, 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase especially those with a history of hypoglycemia, are generally started at a dose in the lower bound of the starting range

(e.g. 0.04 mg/kg/dose) and the dose is increased more slowly. Once a stable dose in the efficacious range is achieved, it is important to monitor the patient’s weight to make sure they do not outgrow their dose. That is, as the patient gains weight, it is critical to also adjust the dose so the patient remains in the most effective dose range. Also, if mecasermin treatment is interrupted for an extended period (e.g. due to a drug shortage), the patients should be reassessed to determine their need for resumption of mecasermin therapy, and if the patients still have growth potential, mecasermin dose escalation should likely be undertaken similar to when the drug was originally initiated. Data on this scenario are limited, and judgment of the treating physician is critical. For those children who experienced hypoglycemia or other drug-related adverse events while on mecasermin, we would recommend repeating the schedule of sequential dose increases that was followed originally when they reinitiate the drug. 4.4 Monitoring Treatment Determination of IGF-1 levels during mecasermin treatment is of limited value [6] and we do not recommend measuring them as part of routine care.