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The reproducibility of urinary growth hormone measurement in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy: a pilot study
Insights
Urinary growth hormone (GH) levels in children are reproducible. This study found consistent overnight urinary GH measurements in normal children and those undergoing adenotonsillectomy, supporting its clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Biomarker Validation
Background:
- Assessing growth hormone (GH) levels is crucial for diagnosing pediatric endocrine disorders.
- Urinary GH measurement offers a non-invasive alternative to serum testing.
- Reproducibility of urinary GH levels in children requires validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reproducibility of overnight urinary growth hormone (GH) levels in children.
- To assess the reliability of urinary GH measurements in normal pediatric populations.
- To evaluate urinary GH reproducibility in children before and after adenotonsillectomy.
Main Methods:
- Overnight urinary GH levels were measured on two consecutive nights in 30 normal children and 32 children undergoing adenotonsillectomy.
- Immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) was employed for precise GH quantification.
- Statistical analysis included comparing levels within groups and calculating the correlation coefficient for pooled data (n=94).
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed in urinary GH levels between consecutive nights within each group.
- A strong positive correlation (r = 0.644, P < 0.001) was found between GH levels measured on the first and second nights.
- Pooled data analysis confirmed the reproducibility of urinary GH measurements.
Conclusions:
- Overnight urinary growth hormone (GH) levels demonstrate high reproducibility in children.
- This validated technique supports further evaluation of urinary GH as a clinical screening or diagnostic tool.
- The findings encourage broader clinical application and investigation of urinary GH assays.
Abstract:
The reproducibility of urinary growth hormone levels in normal children and in children undergoing adenotonsillar surgery was investigated. Thirty normal children and 32 children pre- and post-adenotonsillectomy had overnight urinary growth hormone levels measured on two consecutive nights using the technique of immunoradiometric assay. There was no significant difference when levels in each of these groups were compared. Therefore, the results were pooled (n = 94) and the correlation coefficient comparing levels obtained on the first and the second consecutive nights sample was calculated, r = 0.644 (P < 0.001). This work suggests that studies of urinary growth hormone levels in children give reproducible results. Further investigation of this technique as a screening or diagnostic procedure in the clinical setting can now be more widely evaluated.