Biochemical markers of acromegalic activity.

ABSTRACT

Against a clinical score we compared the effectiveness of three biochemical markers of acromegalic activity a) growth hormone response to i.v. thyrotropin-releasing hormone, b) growth hormone suppression one hour after an oral glucose load, c) basal plasma IGF-I levels. In 21 patients we obtained 39 observations comprising the four parameters. According to the clinical score, patients were divided into three groups group I = patients before surgery; group II = improved but still clinically active; group III = clinically inactive. After i.v. thyrotropin-releasing hormone, abnormal observations increased although the patients improved clinically, so that this test was excluded from statistical analysis. Abnormalities in plasma IGF-I levels and in GH suppression after oral glucose were similarly frequent in the groups studied both 100