title: Appropriate sampling times for growth hormone (GH) measurement during insulin tolerance testing (ITT) in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Pfizer International Metabolic Database (KIMS), a large pharmacoepidemiologic database for adults with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), was recently analyzed to determine which tests are in use to assess GHD and how well they correlate. At the time of this analysis, a total of 15,724 tests had been reported to KIMS. The most frequently used is the insulin tolerance test (ITT), followed in order by the arginine stimulation test (AST), the glucagon stimulation test (GST) and the GH-releasing hormone+arginine (GHRH+arg) test. The ITT correlated with both the AST and the GST, but not with the GHRH+arg.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the AST and GST, use of a diagnostic threshold of 3 mug/l does not attenuate the effects of severe GHD.
authors.affiliation: Buda Childrens Hospital, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muzsnai
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sólyom
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ilyés
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sólyom
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niederland
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Péter
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test / Q000379:methods*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D019382:Human Growth Hormone