180 PARADOXICAL RISE OF GROWTH HORMONE AFTER ORAL GLUCOSE LOAD IN TALL GIRLS: A PHYSIOLOGICAL FINDING IN PUBERTY?

Abstract

In 153 healthy tall girls (age 13.2±1.5 SD, bone age 12.7±0.9 SD), oral glucose tolerance tests (50 mg/m²) were carried out, before treatment with high dose steroid hormones,for the exclusion of risk factors. Besides glucose and insulin, plasma growth hormone (GH) was measured in order to see whether increased GH concentrations could be related to growth data. 141 girls had a height > 2 SDS (T). 12 girls with a height < 2 SDS served as controls (C). GH (mU/l) was analyzed during 0-60' and 120-240' after oral glucose. GH results: A paradoxical rise (> 10) during 0-60' was seen in 41.5% T and in 25% C; an exaggerated response (> 65) during 120-240' occured in 23% T and in 40% C. “Normal” GH results, i.e. low or suppressed values (<10) during 0-60' were seen in 58.5% T and 75% C; moderate peaks (25-65) during 120-240' occured in 54.9% T and 50% C; no increase was found in 22.1% T and 10% C. The differences in frequency during 0-60' and 120-240' between T and C are statistically not significant. Girls with a paradoxical rise vs. suppressed values 0-60', and girls with exaggerated vs. “normal” response 120-240' did not show any difference with respect to height, weight, height prediction, target height, puberty, etc. The large number of girls with non-suppressible and/or exaggerated GH secretion as well as the lack of any correlation between GH values and clinical data suggest, that this “inappropriate” GH-secretion may be a physiological phenomenon in puberty.

Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation Grant No. 3.906.0.83.

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