THE IMMUNOREACTIVE GROWTH HORMONE IN SERUM FROM PATIENTS WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF DIABETES MELLITUS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Employing a chromatographic method the immuno-reactive serum growth hormone was determined in 102 diabetics and 45 controls. The diabetic group consisted of 40 juvenile diabetics and 62 newly diagnosed untreated maturity-onset diabetics. 12 of the juvenile diabetics were newly diagnosed and untreated, while the remaining 28 were long-term diabetics. 33 of the maturity-onset diabetics were non-obese while 29 were obese. All the persons were investigated while fasting in the resting state before getting out of bed. All the groups of diabetics presented an elevated mean fasting serum growth hormone of the same order of magnitude. When the total group of 102 diabetics was analysed against the controls, and also when the 62 maturity-onset diabetics were analysed separately, a statistically significant elevation in the mean fasting serum growth hormone was obtained. This was not the case when the group of 40 juvenile diabetics were analysed separately. In 10 maturity-onset diabetics the serum growth hormone response to oral glucose was found to be normal as compared to 13 controls.