NYCTOHEMERAL SECRETION OF GROWTH HORMONE IN NORMAL CHILDREN OF SHORT STATURE AND IN CHILDREN WITH HYPOPITUITARISM AND INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION

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Abstract
A continuous blood sampling technique was used to monitor human growth hormone (GH) during sleep in 14 normal short children (age range 6.5-15.0 yr), 12 hypopituitary children (2.8-17.3 yr), 3 children with psychosocial GH deficiency (4.0-13.0 yr) and 3 children with intrauterine growth retardation (9.5-11.3 yr). The mean GH level of a 5 h sleep period (22.30-03.30 h) was used to represent the GH response to sleep. The GH response to insulin induced hypoglycemia (IST) was also determined. In normal short children there was a significant relationship between 5 h mean GH levels and chronological age. The curve defining this relationship was similar to the 3rd centile linear growth velocity curve. The 5 h mean GH levels of the hypopituitary and psychosocial GH deficiency children were more than 2 SD below the age related mean established for normal short children. The children with intrauterine growth retardation demonstrated values which were more than 2 SD above the age related mean.