title: Suppression of the hypothalamus-pituitary somatotrope axis in men with spinal cord injuries.
abstract: Thirty-two men with spinal cord injury (SCI) were studied for evaluation of the hypothalamus-pituitary somatotrope axis, using growth hormone-(GH)-releasing hormone (GHRH) and insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Twenty-six age-matched normal male volunteers served as controls. Six SCI subjects (18.7%) had elevated basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, eight (25.0%) had hyperprolactinemia, and 11 (34.4%) had reduced serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels. Twenty SCI subjects (62.5%) had reduced and/or delayed GH responses to GHRH, and eight (25.8%) had reduced GH response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Seven of eight hyperprolactinemic SCI subjects showed reduced GH response to GHRH and/or insulin-induced hypoglycemia. These findings are consistent with the notion that SCI subjects have a reduced central dopaminergic tone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Republic of China.
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: I N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Lien
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007328:Insulin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D011388:Prolactin; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone