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Growth hormone response to arginine infusion in malnourished children

T A Brun, S Nezam-Mafi, M Moshiri

    Diabete & Metabolisme
    |March 1, 1978
    PubMed

    Insights

    Malnourished children, including those with marasmus and kwashiorkor, show normal pituitary gland function. Growth hormone levels remained responsive to arginine stimulation, refuting theories of pituitary hypofunction in malnutrition.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatric Endocrinology
    • Nutritional Science
    • Hormone Physiology

    Background:

    • Infantile malnutrition, particularly marasmus and kwashiorkor, raises concerns about potential endocrine system impairment.
    • Previous hypotheses suggested possible pituitary gland atrophy or hypofunction in malnourished children.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the pituitary gland's secretory capacity in response to stimulation in malnourished children.
    • To compare the pituitary response between children with marasmus, kwashiorkor, and healthy controls.

    Main Methods:

    • Assessed pituitary response using intravenous arginine infusion in 17 malnourished children and 7 controls.
    • Measured serum growth hormone (GH) and insulin concentrations before and after stimulation.
    • Compared hormonal responses across different nutritional status groups.

    Main Results:

    • Serum GH levels significantly increased post-stimulation in the marasmic group (6.6 to 14.9 ng/ml) and controls (7.3 to 11.9 ng/ml).
    • Children with kwashiorkor exhibited high baseline GH (19.6 ng/ml) that remained unchanged after stimulation (17.2 ng/ml).
    • No significant differences in serum insulin concentrations were observed between groups.

    Conclusions:

    • The pituitary gland remains responsive to stimulation in infantile malnutrition, including marasmus.
    • Findings do not support the hypothesis of pituitary atrophy or hypofunction in malnourished children.
    • Kwashiorkor may present with altered baseline GH levels but retains some responsiveness.

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