title: Insulin binding to erythrocyte receptors in acromegalic patients in relation to the activity of acromegaly and to concomitant diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Insulin binding to receptors on erythrocytes was studied in patients with acromegaly (n = 27) and in control subjects without any endocrine pathology, diabetes or obesity (n = 13). According to fasting serum concentration of growth hormone (GH), acromegalics were divided into two groups: A) GH less than 10 ng/ml (n = 16) and B) GH above 20 ng/ml (n = 11), in which patients were further divided into subgroups with regard to the presence or absence of diabetes. Insulin binding was decreased both in active and inactive acromegalics when compared with controls. A greater decrease was seen in active acromegaly coupled with diabetes. This was not the case of inactive hyperglycaemic acromegalics, where a compensatory increase in the affinity of "empty" receptors might account for a lack of a greater decrease in insulin binding.
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011972:Receptor, Insulin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D011972:Receptor, Insulin