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The Effect of Puberty on Growth Hormone Secretion in Boys with Short Stature and Delayed Adolescence
Author(s) -
Eastman C. J.,
Lazarus L.,
Stuart Margaret C.,
Casey J. H.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1971.tb02283.x
Subject(s) - hypopituitarism , medicine , endocrinology , short stature , delayed puberty , bone age , testosterone (patch) , growth hormone , hormone , precocious puberty , growth hormone deficiency , sexual maturity , luteinizing hormone
Summary The effect of puberty on pituitary function, with particular reference to growth hormone (GH) and luteinising hormone (LH) secretion, was assessed in eight boys presenting with short stature and delayed onset of puberty. Six patients underwent spontaneous puberty, one was treated with testosterone, and the eighth was treated with human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). In the prepubertal state the peak serum GH levels achieved in response to insulin induced hypoglycaemia ranged from 0.4 to 2.4 ng/ml (mean 1.32 ± 0.66 SD) and were similar to levels observed in children with organic hypopituitarism. After the onset of spontaneous or induced puberty, there was a rapid increase in growth rate associated with a significantly increased peak serum GH response (P <.01) to hypoglycaemia ranging from 7.0 to 16 ng/ml with a mean of 9.6 ± 2.6 SD. These studies indicate that short stature and delayed puberty are not always “physiological” but may represent a state of reversible, functional hypopituitarism and that repeated measurements of the serum GH response to insulin hypoglycaemia after testosterone priming may be helpful in differentiating these children from those with other forms of hypopituitarism.