[Growth hormone secretion in growth retarded children and adolescents]

In 119 children and adolescents with restricted growth whose secretion of growth hormone (hGH) was investigated in the insulin hypoglycaemia test, different hGH-secretion patterns were found. 52.1% of the investigated persons showed a prestimulatory stress-conditioned hGH-secretion. There were no relations to age or to sex. The hypoglycaemia-conditioned secretion of hormone following this spontaneous release has quantitatively no relation to the size of the decrease of blood sugar. However, it is also determined by the trend of secretion in the pretest-phase. Different modes of synthesis and release are the cause for this behaviour. High spontaneous hGH-levels decrease the hypoglycaemia effect of the intravenously applied insulin. In 33.9% of the cases the levels of the growth hormone are lower during the proper test phase or only as high as in the preparation time. Twelve times the poststimulatory values simulated a hyposomatotropism. The eventual importance of the secretion patterns remains up to now unclear for the longitudinal growth.