Growth hormone investigation in patients with mental dysfunction

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Genetics
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Disorders of physical growth and mental development in children can have complex etiologies.
• Assessing human growth hormone (HGH) secretion is crucial for diagnosing growth-related conditions.
• The role of sex chromosome abnormalities in HGH response requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the human growth hormone (HGH) response to insulin hypoglycemia and arginine infusion in children with growth and mental development disorders.
• To investigate potential correlations between HGH secretion, sex chromosome abnormalities, and clinical parameters.
• To identify any unique syndromes associated with impaired pituitary function.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-three children with growth and developmental disorders underwent stimulation tests.
• Insulin hypoglycemia and arginine infusion were used to stimulate HGH release.
• HGH peak concentrations, sex chromosome status, and clinical data (age, growth, birth weight, intelligence) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Only four patients (5.5%) showed absent or impaired pituitary hormone secretion.
• One patient presented a rare syndrome of panhypopituitarism with specific physical and ocular findings.
• No significant differences in HGH peak concentrations were found between tall males or stunted females with sex chromosome abnormalities, nor in other clinical parameters.

Conclusions:

• Impaired pituitary hormone secretion is uncommon in children with growth and developmental disorders presenting with varied sex chromosome abnormalities.
• The identified unique syndrome highlights a rare presentation of panhypopituitarism.
• HGH response does not appear significantly influenced by sex chromosome abnormalities in the studied pediatric population.