Patient Selection for IGF-I Therapy

• Many patients previously classified as 'idiopathic short stature' have Primary IGFD. In some studies, this number is as high as 50%. • For patients with severe Primary IGFD, treatment of choice should be IGF-I, either alone or in combination with IGFBP-3. • For patients with Primary IGFD due to defects of the IGF-I gene, IGF-I (alone) is the treatment of choice. • For patients with milder forms of Primary IGFD, the relative advantages of therapy with IGF-I vs. GH need further evaluation.