Abstract
The glucagon response to an arginine infusion was studied in active acromegalic patients
as well as in inactive acromegalics and normal subjects. Basal glucagon levels were
found to be similar. By contrast the active patients demonstrated higher peak values
after arginine infusions than did the other two groups. Blunting of the glucagon response
to arginine was noted in patients with inactive acromegaly. In one patient studied
before and after treatment, at a time when panhypopituitarism had supervened, no glucagon
or insulin response to infused arginine could be elicited. It was concluded that growth
hormone is probably required for optimum islet of Langerhans function and that excess
growth hormone production will cause excessive glucagon secretion which may contribute
to the diabetic diathesis in active acromegaly.
Key words
Glucagon Response - Arginine - Acromegaly - Growth Hormone
1 This study was supported by U.S.P.H.S. Training Grant TO 1-Am05170 and Fisher Endocrine
Research Fund. Metabolic studies were performed in the Clinical Research Center supported
by RR-55.
2 Present address: Diabetes Section, Clinical Endocrinology Branch, National Institute
of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
20014, U.S.A.
