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Reproducibility of 24-h growth hormone profiles in children
K Albertsson-Wikland1, S Rosberg
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Göteborg, Sweden.
Insights
Growth hormone (GH) secretion and peak patterns are highly reproducible in prepubertal children. Repeated 24-hour GH profiles confirm consistent secretion rates and peak characteristics over time.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Growth Hormone Physiology
Background:
- Growth hormone (GH) secretion is pulsatile.
- Understanding GH secretion patterns is crucial for diagnosing growth disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the reproducibility of 24-hour GH secretion and peak patterns in prepubertal children.
Main Methods:
- Repeated 24-hour GH profiles were obtained from nine prepubertal children over 0.7 to 3.5 years.
- GH secretion amount, peak number, and peak amplitudes were compared between profiles.
- Time-series analysis (Fourier analysis) evaluated the temporal pattern reproducibility.
Main Results:
- No significant group differences were found in GH secretion amount, peak number, or mean peak amplitudes between repeated profiles.
- Individual children showed variations around +/- 30% with a mean intraindividual coefficient of variation of 12%.
- Peak distribution, amplitudes, widths, and temporal patterns demonstrated high reproducibility.
Conclusions:
- Prepubertal children exhibit a high degree of reproducibility in both GH secretion and its temporal pattern.
- These findings support the reliability of repeated GH measurements in this age group.
Abstract:
The rate of GH secretion and the pattern of GH peaks were compared in a group of nine prepubertal children during their prepubertal period in repeated 24-h GH profiles. At investigation, the children were 6-13 years old (at first profile 6-11 years old) and of normal height (+/- 2 SD). Two profiles were obtained per child, (with a mean time interval of 1.5 years, range 0.7 to 3.5 years. The calculated GH secretions of the first and second profiles were compared. As a group, no significant differences in secreted amount of GH, when expressed as data from the second profile as a percentage of data from the first profile (93 +/- 8%), number of peaks (98 +/- 7%) or mean peak amplitudes (92 +/- 11%), were obtained. Between the repeated curves of an individual child, maximal difference in secretion, number of peaks and mean peak amplitudes ranged around +/- 30%, with a mean intraindividual cv of 12%. The reproducibility in the peak distribution for all profiles was also analysed. The relative frequencies is a percentage of the GH peak amplitudes and peak widths were virtually identical in the repeated profiles. Reproducibility of the temporal pattern of profiles was analysed using time-series analysis (Fourier analysis) and showed no difference in rhythmicity between the different occasions. In conclusion, a high reproducibility of both GH secretion and GH pattern was found for the whole group of prepubertal children.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)