Asunto(s)
Retardo del Crecimiento Fetal/clasificación , Retardo del Crecimiento Fetal/etiología , Trastornos del Crecimiento/congénito , Trastornos del Crecimiento/diagnóstico , Trastornos del Crecimiento/genética , Hormona del Crecimiento , Hormona de Crecimiento Humana/deficiencia , Hormona de Crecimiento Humana/farmacología , Proteína 1 de Unión a Factor de Crecimiento Similar a la Insulina/farmacología , /farmacología , Receptores de Somatotropina , Sistema Hipotálamo-Hipofisario/crecimiento & desarrollo , Somatomedinas/deficiencia , Hormonas Esteroides Gonadales , Hormonas Tiroideas , Biología MolecularRESUMEN
Inasmuch as growth hormone is known to interact with the immune system, we studied immune functions including immunoglobulins, cell surface markers, mitogen responses, and polymorphonuclear cell function in eight children with growth hormone deficiency, ages 1 to 17 years, before and during treatment with human growth hormone for 12 to 16 months. Before treatment immune functions were normal in all children. Treatment with human growth hormone did not significantly affect serum immunoglobulins, polymorphonuclear cell function, or percent T cells. However, percent B cells decreased to subnormal levels in seven of seven patients. T helper/suppressor ratios decreased in all patients, to subnormal values in seven of eight patients; and mitogen responses decreased to below normal in all. The decline of percent B cells was transient in all patients, of T helper/suppressor ratios in seven of eight, and mitogen responses in five of eight patients. In vitro incubation of lymphocytes with growth hormone resulted in no changes in cell surface markers or mitogen responses. Although the depression of immune functions resulted in no increased rate of infections during the observation period, we do not know the possible effects of prolonged treatment and therefore caution against the indiscriminate use of human growth hormone. The effects of biosynthetically obtained growth hormone on immune function remain to be determined.
Asunto(s)
Trastornos del Crecimiento/inmunología , Somatomedinas/deficiencia , Linfocitos T/análisis , Adolescente , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Trastornos del Crecimiento/tratamiento farmacológico , Humanos , Inmunidad Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Lactante , Recuento de Leucocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Masculino , Somatomedinas/uso terapéutico , Linfocitos T/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Plasma samples from 68 growth hormone (GH)-deficient children (provocative serum GH level less than 7 ng/ml), 44 normal short children, and 197 children with normal height were assayed 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.