Abstract
Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) given as an iv bolus is an effective test of readily-releasable pituitary GH. In young adults the GH response to GHRH and the insulin tolerence test (ITT) are comparable. We have studied the response to 100ug iv of GHRH (1-29)NH2 in 16 normal male subjects (aged 19-36 yrs), 21 children with idiopathic short stature (ISS, peak GH during ITT 20-81 mU/l), 8 with borderline GH deficiency (GH 10-20 mU/l), and 34 with GH deficiency (GH <10 mU/l; 18 patients with idiopathic GH deficiency, 5 with structural lesions, 3 with optic nerve hypoplasia, and 8 post-irradiation GH deficiency. The mean (range) peak GH after GHRH was 62( 12-220) mU/l in normal subjects, in patients with ISS 72(13-195), borderline GH deficiency 55(23-102), idiopathic GH-deficiency 31(<1-104), structural lesions 14(3-45), optic nerve hypoplasia 26(4-47), and post-irradiaticn 19(9-35) mU/l. The pattern of response was identical in all groups (peak GH 15-75 mins) although GH-deficient patients had significantly lower GH responses than the normal subjects. All patient groups showed a significantly greater GH response after GHRH than hypoglycaemia. In particular, in ISS the GH response to GHRH was identical to that of normal subjects and significantly greater than their response to the ITT (p=0.011). The discrepant response to GHRH and the ITT suggests a suprapituitary cause for the decreased GH secretion and suggests that children with ISS as well as GH deficiency may respond to treatment with GHRH.
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Ross, R., Grossman, A., Besser, C. et al. CHILDREN WITH IDIOPATHIC SHORT STATURE SHOW A GREATER RESPONSE TO GHRH THAN INSULIN HYPOGLYCAFMIA; RESPONSE TO GHRH (1–29)NH2 IN 16 NORMAL SUBJECTS AND 55 CHILDREN WITH SHORT STATURE. Pediatr Res 23, 121 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198801000-00120
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198801000-00120