
acromegaly
the effects of various steroid hormones on the
insulin-induced growth hormone response
and peter h. forsham
the availability of a sensitive assay for human growth hormone has made
it possible to directly measure the effects of various agents purported to
alter growth patterns.  acromegalic patients present a special problem both in
early diagnosis and in therapy.  being able to measure growth hormone in
these patients provides an accurate index of activity and a precise measure
of therapeutic effectiveness.
in an attempt to determine whether a pituitary block of growth hormone
secretion is feasible in this condition, a study was made of the effects of
estrogen, androgen and glucocorticoid administration on growth hormone
response to a standard insulin tolerance test in a patient with active acro-
megaly.  in the dosage schedules used in this study, it was not possible to
suppress either basal growth hormone secretion or blunt its responsiveness
to the normal physiologic stimulus of hypoglycemia.
