[Nocturnal growth hormone secretion in children with constitutional and acquired developmental delay].

We investigated the spontaneous secretion of GH during sleep (20.00 to 8.00) in 76 children with short statute. No difference could be found between a group of 12 children with familiar short stature or a group of 28 children with familial delay of growth and development: mean GH level 5.88:5.71 maxima 26.9:25.4 ng/ml, and integrated concentration of GH 2360:2617 ng x min/ml. 14 children with severe growth hormone deficiency proven by 2 stimulation tests, secreted significantly lower amounts of GH (mean 0.83 ng/ml, maximum 2.9 ng/ml, integrated concentration 371 ng x min/ml). 22 children with nonfamilial delay of growth and development presented values being lower than the first two groups, but higher than the group of GH deficiency patients (mean 3.07 ng/ml, maximum 13.8 ng/ml, integrated concentration 1429 ng x min/ml). Since in these children the anamnesis revealed events like breech delivery, shock or commotio cerebri as the history of patients with GH deficiency does, these events apparently cause the defective GH secretion in nonfamilial delay of growth and development.