Chemical Formula: C63H104N16O17S Growth hormone is a polypeptide whose main amount is produced in the anterior pituitary lobe during the first 1.5 hours of sleep. GH is involved through somatomedins both in the process of protein metabolism and in the transport of glucose and the synthesis of glycogen (the body’s stored carbohydrate), as well as in the synthesis of bone tissue. Indications:
Dwarfism and gigantism in children
Acromegaly in adults
Assay method: Chemiluminescent method. See table for reference values. Interpretation of result: High GH values:
Acromegaly
Anorexia nervosa
Low GH values:
Stunted growth and dwarfism
Since GH secretion depends on many factors (stress, sleep, exercise, gender, age, estrogen and blood sugar levels), its concentration in the blood fluctuates. In order to get an adequate result, the determination of this hormone should be prescribed together with a glucose tolerance test or exercise test. During induced hyperglycemia in a healthy person, the blood GH content decreases; in patients with acromegaly, it does not.