Factors influencing the growth hormone response to growth hormone-releasing hormone in children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the factors influencing the growth hormone (GH) response to GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) test in idiopathic GH deficiency.


METHODS
28 patients aged 4.9 +/- 0.7 years with certain GH deficiency were given GHRH (2 microg/kg).


RESULTS
The GH peak after GHRH was correlated negatively with age at evaluation (r = -0.37, p < 0.05) and body mass index (r = -0.44, p = 0.02), and positively with anterior pituitary height (r = 0.47, p = 0.02), GH peak after non-GHRH stimulation (r = 0.78, p < 0.0001) and spontaneous GH peak (r = 0.82, p = 0.007). It was lower in the patients aged >5 years than in the youngest (p = 0.04), but it was similar in the patients with and without features suggesting a hypothalamic origin.


CONCLUSIONS
The GH response to GHRH test cannot be used to differentiate between hypothalamic and pituitary forms of idiopathic GH deficiency, probably because the GH response decreases after the first 5 years of life, whatever the origin of the deficiency.
Pediatric Endocrinology Department, Université René-Descartes and Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, France.
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Groisne
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Trivin
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Souberbielle
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Brauner
D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000473:pathology
D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone