title: Insulin-like growth factors I and II in evaluation of growth retardation.
abstract: Plasma samples from 68 growth hormone (GH)-deficient children (provocative serum GH level less than 7 ng/ml), 44 normal short children, and 197 children with normal height were assayed by specific radioimmunoassays for the somatomedin peptides, insulin-like growth factors (IGF)-I and -II. Eighteen percent of the GH-deficient children had IGF-I levels within the normal range for age, whereas 32% of normal short children had low IGF-I levels. Low IGF-II levels were found in 52% of GH-deficient children, but also in 35% of normal short children. However, only 4% of GH-deficient children had normal plasma levels of both IGF-I and IGF-II. Furthermore, only 0.5% of normal children and 11% of normal short children had low plasma levels of both IGF-I and IGF-II. We conclude that plasma levels of either IGF-I or IGF-II overlap in GH-deficient and normal short children, but that the combination of radioimmunoassays may permit better discrimination among normal, normal short, and GH-deficient children.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000097:blood*; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency
chemical_list: D013002:Somatomedins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II