Elsevier

The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 109, Issue 3, September 1986, Pages 428-433
The Journal of Pediatrics

Original article
Insulin-like growth factors I and II in evaluation of growth retardation*

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(86)80112-3Get rights and content

Plasma samples from 68 growth hormone (GH)-deficient children (provocative serum GH level <7 ng/ml), 44 normal short children, and 197 children with normal height were asseyed by specific radioimmunoassays for the somatomedin peptides, insulin-like growth factors (IGF)-I and -II. Eighteen percent of the GH-deficient children had IGF-I levels within the normal range for age, whereas 32% of normal short children had low IGF-I levels. Low IGF-II levels were found in 52% of GH-deficient children, but also in 35% of normal short children. However, only 4% of GH-deficient children had normal plasma levels of both IGF-I and IGF-II. Furthermore, only 0.5% of normal children and 11% of normal short children had low plasma levels of both IGF-I and IGF-II. We conclude that plasma levels of either IGF-I or IGF-II overlap in GH-deficient and normal short children, but that the combination of radioimmunoassays may permit better discrimination among normal, normal short, and GH-deficient children.

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    *

    Supported in part by Research Grants AM28229 (R.G.R.) and AM 24085 (R.L.H.) from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Lee is a recipient of a fellowship award from the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Dr. Rosenfeld is the recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health.

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