[Circulating somatostatin concentrations in childhood. Studies in normal weight and obese children and patients with growth hormone deficiency].

At present in childhood there is only few information about the importance concerning circulating somatostatin concentrations. We therefore investigated the plasma somatostatin response to a mixed meal, an oral glucose load, pentagastrin injection and insulin hypoglycemia in normal weight and obese children and patients with growth hormone deficiency. Results in normal weight children: 1. Following a 800 kcal mixed meal (50% carbohydrate, 35% protein, 15% fet) peak values of plasma somatostatin were reached within 30-180 min (37.6 +/- 4.2 pg/ml vs. 58.5 +/- 3.4 pg/ml; p less than 0.05) in 6 children. 2. In response to oral glucose load of 1.75 g/kg bw glucose no alterations of plasma somatostatin levels were observed in 13 children 3. Injection of 6 micrograms/kg bw pentagastrin s.c. in 10 children resulted in maximal increase of somatostatin concentrations between 5 and 15 min (32.0 +/- 4.5 pg/ml vs. 69.1 +/- 7.4 pg/ml; p less than 0.01). 4. Injection of 0.1 IU/kg bw insulin in 7 children induced hypoglycemia and stimulated peak values of plasma somatostatin within 15-60 min (32.0 +/- 6.6 pg/ml vs. 57.4 +/- 6.4 pg/ml; p less than 0.01). - Results in obese children: Following mixed meal ingestion in 7 obese children plasma somatostatin response was comparable to controls. Although integrated insulin response over 180 min was higher in this group (9694 +/- 1363 microU/ml vs. 5054 +/- 651 microU/ml; p less than 0.05) the integrated somatostatin response (9038 +/- 1852 pg/ml) did not differ from controls (8614 +/- 876 pg/ml). After oral glucose load no changes in circulating somatostatin concentrations were observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)