The aim of the study was to assess the effect of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on serum lipids in children treated with chronic peritoneal dialysis. We studied 26 patients aged 5-18 years, including 13 patients treated with rhGH at a dose of 1-1.1 IU/kg per week for 6 months and a control group of 13 patients. Serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-C, triglycerides (TG), apolipoproteins A-I and B-100 (apoA and apoB), lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], total protein, albumin, urea, and creatinine levels were measured in all children at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months of follow-up. We found a significant increase in the TG level after 1 month of administration of rhGH in the treatment group compared with both baseline (218.8+/-49.2 mg/dl vs. 175.9+/-71.9 mg/dl, respectively, P<0.05) and the control group at 1 month of follow-up (146.5+/-44.3 mg/dl, P<0.001). We found no change in TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, apoA, and Lp(a) levels during treatment with rhGH. These data suggest that administration of rhGH to children treated with peritoneal dialysis results in only a transient increase of serum TG level and has no effect on TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, apoA, and Lp(a) levels.