Does gonadotropin-releasing hormone administration affect serum growth hormone levels in poorly controlled insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus?

Exaggerated growth hormone (GH) responses to various provocative stimuli have been reported previously in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Little is known about GH response to synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in diabetes. It has been reported to be exaggerated in active acromegaly. We investigated GH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels after GnRH administration in seven IDDM and eight non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) patients. They were poorly controlled from a metabolic point of view. Ten healthy subjects served as the control group. FSH and LH levels increased significantly after GnRH in all groups. In contrast, GnRH did not elicit significant GH increments above baseline levels in any group. Moreover, mean areas under the GH curves were comparable among the three groups. These results suggest that poorly controlled IDDM and NIDDM does not lead to inappropriate GH responses to GnRH.