title: Are IGF-I and IGF-BP3 useful for diagnosing growth hormone deficiency in children of short stature?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is based on clinical and auxological characteristics combined with the results of growth hormone provocation tests.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the utility of IGF-I and IGF-BP3 serum levels in the diagnosis of GHD among children of short stature.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 207 short pre-pubertal children and divided them into two groups. One group consisted of 70 children (mean age 7.93 +/- 2.35 SD) with a growth hormone (GH) response on two provocative tests of < or = 8 ng/ml, while the other group contained 137 children (mean age 7.92 +/- 2.11 SD) with a peak GH value of > 8 ng/ml. Serum IGF-1 and IGF-BP3 levels were determined in the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The difference in serum IGF-I between the two groups was not significant (p= 0.26), while the difference in IGF-BP3 between the two groups was statistically significant (p= 0.004). The performance of serum IGF-1 and IGF-BP3 as a diagnostic tool, expressed as AUC by ROC analyses, was quite low.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neither IGF-I nor IGF-BP3 are an adequate substitute for the stimulus test in the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency among children of short stature.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Endocrinology Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University of Florence, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Meyer, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galluzzi
authors.forename: Maria Rita
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Quaranta
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salti
authors.forename: Calogero
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saieva
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nanni
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seminara
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000097:blood*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I