Growth hormone secretory rates in children as estimated by deconvolution analysis of 24-h plasma concentration profiles.

The kinetics of growth-hormone (GH) distribution and elimination was estimated in five GH-deficient children who received 11 intravenous single injections of GH. The plasma disappearance data were analyzed in terms of a two-compartment model. The kinetic parameters obtained were then used in calculating the GH-secretory rate by a numerical deconvolution technique. A simple formula was derived for calculation of the cumulated secretion from the area under the concentration curve of 145 healthy children of various ages, heights, and stages of puberty. The estimated 24-h GH secretion increased with age, corresponding to a two- to fourfold increase during the adolescence period. The highest secretions were found in pubertal stages 3-4. In prepubertal children the heights correlated markedly with the secretion of GH (r = 0.83). Thus an indication of the range of the GH secretion in normal growing children is found, which is important to estimate substitution doses for treatment of GH-deficient children.