Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Live Images of GLUT4 Protein Trafficking in Mouse Primary Hypothalamic Neurons Using Deconvolution Microscopy
Published on: December 7, 2017
Growth hormone deficiency: a possible complication of glucose transporter 1 deficiency?
Yu Nakagama1, Tsuyoshi Isojima, Yoko Mizuno
1Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) can lead to growth failure. Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) may complicate GLUT1DS, but growth hormone therapy can improve growth rates in affected children.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Endocrinology
- Metabolic disorders
Background:
- Glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) is a rare inherited metabolic disorder affecting brain glucose uptake.
- The full clinical spectrum, including growth and endocrine aspects, is not well-characterized.
Observation:
- A 12-year-old boy with GLUT1DS presented with significant growth failure (height -3.6 SDS).
- Diagnostic evaluation revealed severe growth hormone deficiency (GHD).
Findings:
- The patient received growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy.
- GH therapy led to a substantial increase in growth rate, from 1.7 cm/year to 7.5 cm/year and 4.3 cm/year over two years, with no adverse effects.
Implications:
- Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a potential complication of GLUT1DS.
- Early diagnosis and intervention with GH therapy may improve growth outcomes in children with GLUT1DS and GHD.
Unlabelled:
Glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) is an autosomal dominant disorder of brain energy metabolism caused by impaired GLUT1-mediated glucose transport across the blood-brain barrier. Although the clinical spectrum of this disorder is expanding rapidly, the growth patterns and endocrine status of these patients are not well known. We report the case of a boy aged 12 years and 7 months who has GLUT1DS complicated by growth failure. His failure to grow had progressed since birth, and his body height was 125 cm (-3.6 SDS). Growth hormone stimulation tests showed severe growth hormone deficiency (GHD), and we initiated GH replacement therapy. After 2 years of treatment, the boy's growth rate recovered from 1.7 cm/year before treatment, to 7.5 cm/year and 4.3 cm/year after treatment with no adverse effects. We speculate that GHD is a possible complication of GLUT1DS and discuss the underlying causative mechanism.
Conclusion:
GHD may be a possible complication of GLUT1DS.
Related Concept Videos
Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
Hypoglycemia and Glucagon
Hyperglycemia
Hypoglycemia
Type I Diabetes III: Clinical Manifestations
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...

