Good growth despite very low levels of insulin-like growth factors.
Mots clés
Abstrait
A 12.5-year-old girl presented with short stature. Insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-I) and insulin- like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-3) were below the 0.1 percentile. Growth hormone provocation tests disclosed normal responses to L-arginine and insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. A huge benign mesenteric cyst was discovered by abdominal ultrasound and completely removed. Subsequently, the girl showed a marked catch-up growth; however, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 remained below the 0.1 percentile.
CONCLUSIONS
These observations imply that growth may take place even with very low levels of insulin-like growth factors. The interpretation of low IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels in short children still requires good clinical judgement and basic knowledge of their biological action.
