RESUMEN
Growth hormone [GH], insulin-like growth factor-I [IGF-I], IGF-binding protein [GH/IGF/IGFBP] axis has been suggested both to maintain normal renal function and to play an important role in the development of diabetic nephropathy [DN], in patients with type 1 diabetes [T1D]. Nephromegaly [NM] and microalbuminuria [MA] are early markers of DN. Study the role of urinary concentrations of GH and IGF-I in the development of DN, in children and adolescents suffering T1D, A total of 50 children and adolescents with T1D of 6-14 years old were recruited from the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, 23 were males and 27 were females. Subjects were divided into two groups; 20 with early-onset diabetes and 30 with long-term diabetes. Both groups were subjected to history-taking, clinical examination including body mass index [BMI], pubertal staging according to the rating of Tanner[1], assessment of glycemic control, measurement of kidney volume [KV], as a marker of glomerular hypertrophy, by ultrasonography [U/S]. The overall rate of MA and NM accounted for 20% [10/50] and 26% [13/50], respectively, being more detected in long-term diabetics than that in patients with early-onset diabetes, with significant difference. Long-term diabetics had significantly higher albumin excretion rate [AER] and urinary GH and IGF-I concentrations than that in early-onset diabetics. The mean BMI, pubertal duration, urinary GH and urinary IGF-I were significantly higher among diabetics positive for MA than that among diabetics negative for MA. our data, which reflect increased mean urinary GH / IGF-I production, strengthen the evidence of an association between GH and MA and NM and also implicate urinary GH/ IGF-I in DN, particularly in children and adolescents with long-term diabetes, increased pubertal duration and poor glycemic contro