title: Measuring growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I in infants: what is normal?
abstract: The role of growth hormone (GH) and insulinlike growth factor-I (IGF-I) change through early childhood. Whereas poor growth is a later presenting feature, infants with isolated GH deficiency have a normal birth weight and length, and often present with hypoglycemia. IGF-I plays an important role antenatally and post-natally in somatic and brain growth. In order to evaluate the GH/IGF-I axis in infancy, an understanding of the normal physiology is required. Measurements of GH and IGF-I in this population should be interpreted in the context of the assays used, as well as their limitations. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of normal GH and IGF-I secretion in children under 18 months of age, and describe variations in the reported assay-specific measurements.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Colin Patrick
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Hawkes
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Adda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grimberg
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D003940:Diagnostic Techniques, Endocrine / Q000592:standards*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I