Plasma insulin response to arginine stimulation in children and adolescents with constitutional short stature according to sex, age, sexual development and skinfold thickness.

The plasma insulin response to a standard arginine stimulation test was studied in 247 children and adolescents (177 males and 70 females) with constitutional growth retardation as compared with the response obtained in a matched group of 42 normal subjects and a group of 57 obese subjects. When the insulin response was related to pubertal ratings in the children and adolescents with growth retardation, it was found that the mean fasting levels and mean peak response both rose with the progression of puberty. This tendency was more pronounced in the females. When the insulin response was related to the degree of adiposity as measured by the degree of subscapular skinfold thickness, it was found that the greater the adiposity, the greater was the mean response, with the females showing higher levels than the males in each group. Even when the response in the two sexes was compared in subjects of a similar age and skinfold thickness, the females had a higher mean peak insulin response than did the males.