Abstract
SUMMARYThe stimulation of growth hormone release in children by L‐dopa has been studied. An oral dose of 0.5 g L‐dopa was administered to fourteen children with, and to fifteen children without, hypothalamic‐pituitary insufficiency. In the control group, L‐dopa induced a release of pituitary growth hormone, the peak of which occurred from 30 to 60 min after ingestion. Nine out of fifteen control subjects showed peak levels of plasma growth hormone greater than 8 ng/ml. None of the patients with hypothalamic‐pituitary insufficiency showed levels greater than 5 ng/ml. In five out of six children with measurable amounts of plasma HGH, and in fourteen children with a lack of HGH, there was a good correlation between the HGH response after L‐dopa, insulin hypoglycaemia and arginine infusion. It is concluded that the administration of one oral dose of L‐dopa can be used as a provocative test of growth hormone secretion.
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