Growth hormone studies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with or without glucocorticoid therapy.

Abstract

4 patients with rheumatoid arthritis or Still's disease with a secondary dwarfism had normal growth hormone secretion; they were physiologically normal both after an overnight fast and following insulin-induced hypoglycemia. 16 patients with glucocorticoid treatment—most of them on an alternate regimen—had low fasting levels of growth hormone and a mean incerase of 7.7 ng/ml (range 0 to 34.2 ng/ml) as compared to healthy controls with a mean increase of 18.0 (range 8.4 to 40) ng/ml. One of these patients who was on daily steroids had a good growth hormone response, while another patient on daily steroids had no increase in growth hormone. Different responses were also found in 2 patients treated only with Depot ACTH. A diminished secretion of growth hormone is not the cause of growth retardation in rheumatoid arthritis or Still's disease, unless there is a depression caused by necessary glucocorticoid or ACTH therapy.