Plasma growth hormone responses to repetitive administrations of growth hormone releasing factor in patients with pituitary dwarfism.

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Abstract
Plasma growth hormone (GH) responses to the repetitive administrations of synthetic human pancreatic growth hormone releasing factor (hpGRF-44) were studied in 15 patients with GH deficiency (11 diagnosed as idiopathic and 4 diagnosed as secondary to hypothalamo-pituitary tumor). hpGRF-44 was administered by single i.v., bolus (2 .mu.g/kg), repetitive i.m. (100 .mu.g, twice a day), and or repetitive i.v., infusion (2.5 .mu.g/min for 90 min, once a day) for 3 to 6 consecutive days. Three of the 11 idiopathic GH deficient patients had plasma GH responses to both single i.v., bolus injection and repetitive administrations by i.m. or i.v. infusion of hpGRF. In 4 of the remaining 8, who had not had peak plasma GH levels above 5 ng/ml to a single i.v., bolus of the peptide, repetitive administrations of hpGRF-44 by i.m. injection and/or i.v., infusion induced GH responses to the peptide. In the 4 patients with secondary GH deficiency, 3 had plasma GH response to hpGRF administration but one patient, who had indications of pituitary disorder, did not show any plasma GH response to either single i.v., injection or repetitive administrations of hpGRF-44. Apparently, repetitive administrations of hpGRF-44 can induce plasma GH responses in some GH deficient patients who do not respond to a single i.v., bolus of the peptide.