title: Comparison of growth hormone-releasing effect of growth hormone-releasing hormone, clonidine and pyridostigmine in normal children and adolescents. GH-releasing effect of GHRH, clonidine and pyridostigmine.
abstract: The GHRH test has been proposed to replace conventional stimuli in the diagnosis of GH deficiency. However the reliability of GHRH in discriminating between normal and GH-deficient children is still uncertain. The aim of this study was to compare the GH-releasing effect of GHRH (1 microgram/kg i.v.) with that of two neuroactive drugs, clonidine (CLON, 150 micrograms/m2 orally), an alpha 2-receptor agonist, and pyridostigmine (PD, 60 mg orally), a cholinergic agonist that inhibits cholinesterases, in 23 children and adolescents with normal and familial short stature. The plasma GH peak (mean +/- SEM) after GHRH (20.3 +/- 2.5 ng/ml), CLON (17.0 +/- 2.1 ng/ml) and PD (14.9 +/- 1.5 ng/ml) did not significantly differ. According to the conventional limit (less than 10 ng/ml), a false negative response was present in 6, 5 and 6 subjects after GHRH, CLON and PD, respectively. In conclusion, GHRH, CLON and PD have a similar GH-releasing effect. A similar percentage of false negative responses was observed with all tests and this evidence reduces their diagnostic ability.
authors: Department of Biomedicine, University of Turin, Italy.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Ghigo
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Arvat
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Nicolosi
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Mazza
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Camanni
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000187:drug effects*; D011729:Pyridostigmine Bromide / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; D011729:Pyridostigmine Bromide; D003000:Clonidine