Growth hormone
| About This Test |
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Department: Biochemistry Requirement:
Turnaround Time: 2 weeks |
Background:
Investigation of pituitary dysfunction and assessment/monitoring of patients with growth hormone disorders.
GH is pulsatile, with peaks occuring throughout the night, thus random GH samples are often uninformative. GH samples are commonly taken following stimulation (insulin tolerance test/arginine stimulation) or suppression (glucose tolerance test). IGF-1 is a useful indicator of average growth hormone levels, as it is stable throughout the day.
Growth hormone testing is performed in the local lab on Wednesdays only.
Other Comments:
For more information, please see the following: Growth Hormone - Lab Tests Online