Differential impact of simple childhood obesity on the components of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-IGF binding proteins axis.

BALLERINI MG; ROPELATO MG; DOMENÉ HM; PENNISI P; HEINRICH JJ; JASPER HG

JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM

Freund Pub. House

Año: 2004 vol. May p. 749 - 757

2191-0251

Simple childhood obesity is characterized by normal or even accelerated growth in spite of reduced growth hormone (GH) secretion. There are conflicting reports on the effects of obesity upon components of the GH-insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I)-IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) system. In the present study we aimed to determine GH, IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-2 as well as some of the less explored components of this axis (IGFBP-3 proteolytic activity, IGFBP-3 plasma fragments, and total acid labile subunit [ALS]) in 22 obese and 17 age-matched control children. We also evaluated not only total GH binding protein (GHBP) serum levels but also GHBP bound to GH (complexed) in both groups. Obese and control groups strongly differed in BMI (obese: 4.7 +/- 0.36 vs control: 0.37 +/- 0.25 SDS, p