Abstract
High plasma growth hormone (GH) levels, associated with abnormal hormone responses to provocative stimuli, point to an altered GH secretion in anorexia nervosa. The GH-releasing effect of acutely administered glucocorticoids, firmly established in normal subjects, has not been reported in these patients. In this study, acute iv administration of 4 mg of dexamethasone, compared with saline, increased plasma GH in nine normal-weight women (AUC 848.2 +/- 127.95 vs 242.8 +/- 55.35 micrograms.l-1.min-1, p < 0.05, respectively) but was ineffective in 11 anorectic patients (AUC 3271.8 +/- 1407.11 vs 2780.0 +/- 1162.04 micrograms.l-1.min-1, NS). After dexamethasone, a significant lowering of plasma cortisol was observed in normal women (AUC 25367.0 +/- 3128.43 vs 47347.1 +/- 4456.61 nmol.l-1.min-1, after dexamethasone and saline, respectively, p < 0.05), but not in anorectic patients (AUC 77809.3 +/- 8499.92 vs 78454.9 +/- 7603.62 nmol.l-1.min-1, NS). In both groups, plasma adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) displayed a significant decrease after dexamethasone (AUC 523.6 +/- 92.08 vs 874.2 +/- 115.03 pmol.l-1.min-1, p < 0.05, after dexamethasone and saline, respectively, in anorectic patients and 377.5 +/- 38.41 vs 1004.9 +/- 200.51 pmol.l-1.min-1, p < 0.05, in controls). However, when considering the hormonal decremental areas, a significant dexamethasone-induced ACTH inhibition, compared to saline, was evidenced in normal (delta AUC -414.4 +/- 65.75 vs 222.9 +/- 42.40 pmol.l-1.min-1, p < 0.05) but not in anorectic women (delta AUC -254.2 +/- 96.92 vs 2.9 +/- 132.32 pmol.l-1.min-1, NS).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Published Version
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