[Early effects of intramuscular growth hormone on plasma somatomedin activity (author's transl)].

The early effects of intramuscular injection of human growth hormone (hGH) on plasma sulfation activity (Sm) have been followed for 72 hours: 1) after one injection of 6 mg in control children and in pituitary dwarfs (isolated idiopathic GH deficiency, multiple idiopathic pituitary deficiencies, and post-surgical or post-radiotherapic hypopituitarism); 2) after 6 injections of 1 mg every 12 hours in idiopathic pituitary dwarfs. Following injection of 6 mg, Sm decreases during 2-4 hours in all groups studied, then rises and peaks at 24 hours. The early decrease of Sm could relate to a rise of Sm-binding protein, as suggested by data obtained in the dog after intravenous injection of bovine GH. Following 6 injections of 1 mg, the rise of Sm is slower but higher and more protracted than with one injection of 6 mg. This fact suggests that the clinical effects of fractionation of treatment with HGH require further study. The lack of correlation between the biological data obtained and the clinical effects of hGH treatment upon the growth of pituitary dwarfs shows that the short-term hGH test used does not allow to foresee the effects of treatment.