Levodopa-stimulated growth hormone secretion and diabetic retinopathy.

Since growth hormone has been implicated as a possible etiologic factor in the development of diabetic retinopathy, we examined growth hormone levels in two groups of growth-onset diabetics matched for age and duration of disease. The experimental group had definite proliferative diabetic retinopathy; the control group of growth-onset diabetics had no significant retinopathy. Basal and levodopa-stimulated levels of growth hormone were determined for each group. Growth hormone response could not be correlated with the presence or absence of diabetic retinopathy (P less than .05).