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CLINICAL USE OF GLYCINE INTRAVENOUS LOAD FOR DIAGNOSIS OF GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY
Author(s) -
FLOREA ION,
POPA MIRCEA,
SIMIONESCU LIGIA,
DINULESCU ELENA,
JUVINÂ ELENA
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1976.tb01954.x
Subject(s) - glycine , endocrinology , medicine , hypopituitarism , growth hormone deficiency , short stature , hormone , growth hormone , amino acid , chemistry , biochemistry
SUMMARY Intravenous glycine injection (250 mg/kg of body weight) resulted in growth hormone release in normal children but not in those with growth hormone deficiency diagnosed by insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia. In the latter significantly higher peak concentrations of serum α‐amino nitrogen were also found. False negative responses to glycine (no GH release) were observed in two patients of short stature but normal pituitary function. In them the peak levels of serum α‐amino nitrogen were lower than in those with hypopituitarism. We propose the clinical use of glycine as an inexpensive and innocuous procedure for the detection of GH deficiency in children. A post‐glycine GH peak greater than 10.0 mu/1 seems to be a good index of an intact GH reserve.