Is growth hormone associated with diabetic retinopathy?

The role of growth hormone (GH) in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy was evaluated in 150 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus by measuring urinary GH excretion using a highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay. Urinary GH excretion was not significantly different among diabetic patients without retinopathy (mean, 2.4 ng/day; range, < 0.3-20.0 ng/day), with background retinopathy (2.7 ng/day; < 0.3-22.0 ng/day), and with proliferative retinopathy (3.1 ng/day, 0.9-15.6 ng/day). These data suggest that GH does not play a role for the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy through the increased physiological secretion.