Clinical Chemistry Link to Randox Laboratories Web Site
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Clinical Chemistry 52: 468-473, 2006. First published January 26, 2006; 10.1373/clinchem.2005.060236
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
clinchem.2005.060236v1
52/3/468    most recent
Right arrow Submit an electronic Letter to
the Editor about this paper
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (8)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Markkanen, H.
Right arrow Articles by Stenman, U.-H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Markkanen, H.
Right arrow Articles by Stenman, U.-H.
Related Collections
Right arrow Endocrinology and Metabolism
(Clinical Chemistry. 2006;52:468-473.)
© 2006 American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc.

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Effect of Sex and Assay Method on Serum Concentrations of Growth Hormone in Patients with Acromegaly and in Healthy Controls

Helene Markkanen1,a, Tuula Pekkarinen3, Matti J. Välimäki2, Henrik Alfthan1, Ritva Kauppinen-Mäkelin4, Timo Sane2 and Ulf-Håkan Stenman1

1 Department of Clinical Chemistry and 2 Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
3 Department of Internal Medicine, Peijas Hospital, Vantaa, Finland.
4 Department of Internal Medicine, Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, Finland.

aAddress correspondence to this author at: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Helsinki University Hospital, FIN-00290 Helsinki, Finland. Fax 358-9-471-74806; e-mail helene.markkanen{at}hus.fi.

Background: Diagnosis and follow-up of acromegaly is based on measurements of serum growth hormone (GH) concentrations during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A nadir value <1 µg/L is commonly used to define a normal response, but some authors suggest lower cutoff values.

Methods: To compare the results and subsequent patient classification obtained with 3 GH assays, we obtained basal serum samples from 78 apparently healthy adult controls (43 women and 35 men; median age, 32.5 years) and from 71 treated (44 women and 27 men; median age, 55.2 years) and 7 untreated acromegaly patients (4 women and 3 men; median age, 54.6 years), and OGTT was performed on all patients and on 72 of the 78 controls. GH was determined by 2 immunometric assays—a double monoclonal (AutoDELFIA; Wallac) and a monopolyclonal (Immulite 2000; DPC) assay—and in a limited set of samples by an RIA (Spectria RIA; Orion).

Results: There was a strong correlation (r = 0.995; P <0.001) between the 2 immunometric methods, but the results obtained with the Immulite 2000 were, on average, 1.4-fold higher than those obtained with the AutoDELFIA. At concentrations around the cutoff (1 µg/L), however, the difference was ~2-fold. Overall, the Orion RIA method also showed a good correlation (r = 0.951–0.959) with the other methods, but it did not measure concentrations <2 µg/L. Women had higher basal and OGTT nadir GH concentrations than men.

Conclusion: Reference intervals should be determined separately for each method, and the need for establishing sex-specific reference values should be investigated.




The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:


Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
A. M. Arafat, M. Mohlig, M. O. Weickert, F. H. Perschel, J. Purschwitz, J. Spranger, C. J. Strasburger, C. Schofl, and A. F. H. Pfeiffer
Growth Hormone Response during Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: The Impact of Assay Method on the Estimation of Reference Values in Patients with Acromegaly and in Healthy Controls, and the Role of Gender, Age, and Body Mass Index
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., April 1, 2008; 93(4): 1254 - 1262.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Clin. Chem.Home page
C. Schmid, P.-A. Krayenbuehl, R.-L. Bernays, C. Zwimpfer, F. E. Maly, and P. Wiesli
Growth Hormone (GH) Receptor Isoform in Acromegaly: Lower Concentrations of GH but Not Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 in Patients with a Genomic Deletion of Exon 3 in the GH Receptor Gene
Clin. Chem., August 1, 2007; 53(8): 1484 - 1488.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur J EndocrinolHome page
K. Pazaitou-Panayiotou, T. Kelesidis, I. Kelesidis, A. Kaprara, J. Blakeman, I. Vainas, A. Mpousoulegas, C. J Williams, and C. Mantzoros
Growth hormone-binding protein is directly and IGFBP-3 is inversely associated with risk of female breast cancer
Eur. J. Endocrinol., February 1, 2007; 156(2): 187 - 194.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
R. Kauppinen-Makelin, T. Sane, H. Sintonen, H. Markkanen, M. J. Valimaki, E. Loyttyniemi, L. Niskanen, A. Reunanen, U.-H. Stenman, and and the Finnish Acromegaly Study Group
Quality of Life in Treated Patients with Acromegaly
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2006; 91(10): 3891 - 3896.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.