The Influence of Age on Human Pancreatic Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Stimulated Growth Hormone Secretion

Irene Lang; R. Kurz; G. Geyer; K. H. Tragl

doi:10.1055/s-2007-1010888

Hormone and Metabolic Research, Table of Contents

Horm Metab Res 1988; 20(9): 574-578
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1010888

Clinical

The Influence of Age on Human Pancreatic Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Stimulated Growth Hormone Secretion

Irene Lang, R. Kurz, G. Geyer, K. H. Tragl

II. Medizinische Universitätsklinik, Universität Wien, I. Medizinische Abteilung des Kaiser Franz Josef Spitals und Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Klinische Endokrinologie, Vienna, Austria

Abstract

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Summary

63 non-obese healthy subjects aged 18 to 95 years were investigated for age-dependence of GHRH-stimulated GH-secretion. In addition, priming of GH-secretion with three oral doses of propranolol (3 × 80 mg, the last dose 2 hours prior to the second GHRH-bolus) was carried out in 15 subjects below 40 years and 13 subjects older than 70 years.

We found that mean maximal incremental GH-levels were inversely correlated with chronological age (r = -0.44, P = 0.001) of the probands. Propranolol premedication caused a significant rise of both basal and peak GHRH-induced relative increases in all subjects tested, whereas GHRH-induced relative increases of GH remained unchanged. In a well selected group of non-obese healthy subjects stimulated GH-secretion is found to undergo an aging process that is supposed to be of pituitary and suprapituitary origin.

Priming GH-secretion with a beta-Blocker is possible both in young and very old healthy subjects and is likely to affect the basal GH secretory tone and not GHRH-stimulated GH-secretion.

Key-Words

GHRH-Stimulated GH-Secretion - Age - Beta-Blockers

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