Growth hormone response to arginine infusion in malnourished children.

Pituitary response to stimulation was assessed by intravenous arginine infusion in 17 malnourished children and 7 controls. Following stimulation, serum growth hormone levels increased from 6.6 +/- 1.2 to 14.9 +/- 2.9 ng/ml in the marasmic group and similarly from 7.3 +/- 1.8 to 11.9 +/- 2.7 ng/ml in the controls. By contrast, in kwashiorkor the mean growth concentration was high and remained unchanged (19.6 +/- 3.9 ng/ml before and 17.2 +/- 2.1 ng/ml after stimulation). No difference was observed between groups for serum insulin concentration. These results do not lend support to the suggestion that there might be atrophy or pituitary hypofunction in infantile malnutrition.