title: Gender influences counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia.
abstract: It has been generally assumed that counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia are not influenced by gender. To test this assumption, we analyzed three separate hypoglycemic insulin clamp studies in age-matched, healthy, non-obese females (n = 33) and males (n = 37). In one study (12 females, 17 males), plasma glucose level was rapidly decreased to about 57 mg/dL for 100 minutes with a 0.65-mU/kg/min insulin infusion. Despite an identical decrease in glucose level, the increase in epinephrine (361 +/- 64 v 188 +/- 38 pg/mL, P < .05), norepinephrine (132 +/- 28 v 47 +/- 19 pg/mL, P < .01), and growth hormone ([GH] 16.0 +/- 3.8 v 4.9 +/- 1.9 ng/mL, P < .05) levels, but not glucagon or cortisol levels, were significantly greater in males than in females, respectively. In the second study (10 females, eight males), a 5.0-mU/kg/min insulin infusion was used to decrease glucose levels to 55 mg/dL for 180 minutes. Epinephrine (P < .05) and GH (P < .01) responses were greater in males than in females. In a third study (11 females, 12 males), plasma glucose level was gradually decreased to about 50 mg/dL over 240 minutes. Again epinephrine (P < .01), norepinephrine (P < .01), GH (P < .05), and cortisol (P < .01) responses were nearly twofold greater in males (P < .01). Multivariate analysis of all 70 subjects identified gender as the most significant factor contributing to the epinephrine (P < .001) and norepinephrine (P < .005) responses, and also as a significant contributor to the GH response (P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caprio
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hallarman
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Addabbo
authors.forename: W V
authors.initials: WV
authors.lastname: Tamborlane
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Sherwin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000139:chemically induced; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine