INVESTIGATION OF IGF-1 SERUM LEVELS IN HEALTHY CHILDREN DURING SYRIAN CONFLICTS

Purpose: Insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) is an important growth hormone that promotes the anabolic effect and linear growth in adults and children. This study aimed to assess serum levels of IGF-1 in healthy Syrian children during Syrian conflicts. Materials and Methods: This study was approved by Al Wataniya Private University ethical committee. In total, 83 children, 49 males and 34 females (3-16 years) were enrolled. Demographic data were registered after obtaining written informed consent from children’s families. Venous blood samples were drawn from children to measure serum IGF-1 levels. GraphPad Prism5.0 was applied to analyze data. Pearson and Mann-Whitney tests were used. Results: The averages of age, weight, height, and body mass index were 6.86±2.69 years, 20.36±7.8 kg, 112.56±16.4 cm, and 15.5±1.7 kg/m², respectively. The average level of IGF-1was 85.44±60 ng/ml. A third of participants had IGF-1 levels below the normal index for their ages, and there was a significant difference in IGF-1 levels and height between these children and the others. 22.8% of participants had short to limit short statures (≤3^rd percentiles), eleven of which had low IGF-1 levels. Conclusion: This study provides a relative estimation of the IGF-1 levels in Syrian children during Syrian conflicts and highlights its importance as a marker for children’s growth.