[ Growth hormone in patients with diabetes mellitus of the juvenile type]

Blood glucose and growth hormone were measured in eight juvenile onset diabetic patients and in controls. Blood samples were obtained every 90--120 minutes for two consecutive days; in one of them, the patients received intermediate insulin, and in the other, they were also injected with additional doses of regular insulin, in order to improve their diabetic control. Normal subjects were studied in the same manner during 24 hs. without insulin. Diabetic patients showed significantly higher blood glucose and growth hormone levels when both insulins were used and only significantly higher blood glucose when they received intermediate insulin alone, than control subjects. They also showed significantly higher growth hormone and lower blood glucose levels on the day of intermediate insulin plus regular insulin than on the day of intermediate insulin. In two prebubertal controls, we observed growth hormone spurt only during sleep, while four adolescent controls showed it both while awake and asleep, as it was in all the diabetic patients we studied, including two prepubertal diabetics, one was 10 years old, and the other 13 9/12, with Turner's syndrom untreated with sexual hormones. We discuss our findings comparing with present day knowledge on this field.