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

© Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart · New York

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
Further Information

Publication History

1986

1987

Publication Date:
14 March 2008 (online)

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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