title: Placental growth hormone during pregnancy in a growth hormone deficient woman with type 1 diabetes compared to a matching diabetic control group.
abstract: In pregnancy, pituitary growth hormone (GH) is gradually replaced by placental growth hormone (hPGH). GH deficient pregnant women may take advantage of GH substitution during pregnancy, but this issue still remains unresolved. Also, in pregnancy diabetes may cause macrosomia. The combination of GH deficiency, GH substitution therapy and type 1 diabetes mellitus may influence pregnancy in unforeseen ways. We present a case of pregnancy in a GH deficient woman with type 1 diabetes who continued on GH replacement until week 21. In gestational week 37 a thin and mildly small-for gestational-age (length 55 cm, +3 SD, 99th centile and weight 2445 g., -1.4 SD, 10th centile) but otherwise healthy boy was born. The patient had levels of serum hPGH at the lower end of the range of values found in a matching group of diabetic women. Serum IGF-I levels were at the upper end of the range of values in the control group. A positive correlation between serum hPGH and IGF-I values was seen in the control group when using the area-under-the-curve (r=0.84; p<0.001). The patient's child had lower birth weight and ponderal index, but was otherwise healthy. Serum IGF-I, but not hPGH, correlated to the absolute birth weight (r=0.63; p=0.015) and the birth weight z-score (r=0.55; p=0.039) in the control group. Serum hPGH and IGF-I declined rapidly after delivery. In conclusion, hPGH correlated to IGF-I in type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), and IGF-I values correlated to the birth weight. Both type 1 diabetes mellitus and GH deficiency (with GH substitution therapy) may influence fetal growth, and in combination, the net influence may be difficult to predict.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby Sygehus, DK-8200 Aarhus N., Denmark. jens_fuglsang@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fuglsang
authors.forename: Finn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lauszus
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ørskov
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ovesen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001724:Birth Weight; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D010926:Placental Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C064980:GH2 protein, human; D010926:Placental Hormones; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone