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Somatomedin C response to growth hormone in psychosocial growth retardation
Insights
Children with psychosocial growth retardation can produce somatomedin C when given growth hormone. Their poor growth response may stem from resistance to somatomedin C, not a production issue.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Growth Hormone Therapy
- Biochemical Markers
Background:
- Psychosocial growth retardation is characterized by impaired growth potentially influenced by environmental factors.
- Exogenous growth hormone (GH) is used to treat various growth disorders.
- Somatomedin C (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) is a key mediator of GH action.
Observation:
- Three children with psychosocial growth retardation showed increased serum somatomedin C levels after exogenous GH administration.
- The somatomedin C response pattern was comparable to that of children with GH deficiency treated with the same GH regimen.
Findings:
- Children with psychosocial growth retardation demonstrate the capacity to synthesize somatomedin C in response to exogenous growth hormone.
- The impaired growth response to GH in these children is unlikely due to an inability to produce somatomedin C.
Implications:
- This suggests a potential resistance to the biological actions of somatomedin C in psychosocial growth retardation.
- Further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms of somatomedin C resistance in this population.
- Understanding these mechanisms could lead to more targeted therapeutic strategies for growth disorders.
Abstract:
Three children with psychosocial growth retardation increased their serum somatomedin C levels from 0.20 +/- .02 to 0.81 +/- 0.2 U/ml in response to exogenous growth hormone. The pattern of somatomedin C response to growth hormone was no different from that seen in 11 prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency who received growth hormone according to the same acute treatment regimen. This result suggests that the poor growth response of children with psychosocial growth retardation to exogenous growth hormone is not due to an inability to synthesize somatomedin C, and that it may represent a degree of resistance to the actions of somatomedin C.