Correlation of the parameters of 24-hour growth hormone secretion with growth velocity in 93 children of varying height.

Growth velocity (cm/year) was studied in 93 prepubertal children of varying height and correlated with the parameters of 24-hour growth hormone (GH) secretion: maximum peak, integrated concentration (IC), number and amplitude of peaks. The group consisted of 74 boys and 19 girls whose mean age was 10 years 8 months. Fifty-five children had growth retardation (m = 2.8 SD), 22 were of normal height between +/- 2 SD and 12 had tall stature (m = 3.1 SD). Growth velocity for the group as a whole was 4.7 cm/year, 3.9 cm/year for the children with delayed growth, 4.6 cm/year for the normal children and 7.4 cm/year for the tall children. The study of 24-hour GH secretion for the group as a whole gave the following results: maximum peak 22.4 +/- 13.4 ng/ml, number of peaks 4.6 +/- 1.9 and IC 3.5 +/- 2 ng/ml. The multiple regression test showed a significant correlation (p less than 0.001) between growth velocity and the number of peaks during the night and over the 24-hour period. This correlation existed in all three groups, but was stronger in the group of tall stature than in the other two groups. However, no correlation was found between growth velocity, value of the maximum peak and integrated concentration in the group as a whole or in any of the three subgroups. These data show that the pulsatile nature of GH secretion is one of the factors most closely correlated with growth velocity, in children with growth retardation as well as in children of normal height and in tall children.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)