Blood cell polyamines in children with short stature in reference to growth hormone activity.

The molar ratio or two blood polyamines (spermidine to spermine) was investigated in 54 children with shortness of stature. The long-term reproducibility of this ratio was 9.0%. In children with no endocrine disturbances, the mean ratio was 0.97. In children with isolated growth hormone deficiency, it was 0.61, and in those with growth hormone and ACTH deficiency, it was 0.67, both significantly low values. The ratio showed a significant positive correlation with growth hormone response to insulin hypoglycemia (r = 0.58; P less than 0.001) and with the nitrogen retention response to short-term growth hormone therapy (r = 0.45; P less than 0.001). In contrast, no such correlation was present with cortisol response to hypoglycemia.