Assay for GH:
Immunoenzymatic
Precautions:
Nausea (30 %), vomiting/retching (10 %), and headaches (10 %) may occur during and after the test. (Administration of intravenous antiemetics can be considered.) Late hypoglycemia may rarely occur (patients should be advised to eat small and frequent meals after the completion of the test) [5].
Interpretation:
Caveats:
It is not known whether testing using the GST in subjects with diabetes is valid, since only a small number of patients with diabetes have been included in clinical studies [3, 5].
Unlike the GHRH–arginine test , significant correlation between body mass index (BMI) and peak GH response to the GST was observed in some but not all the studies [2].
It is still not clear whether the ideal timing of the GST is 3 versus 4 hour, and continuing the test for 4 hour may be advisable, at least until there are more definitive data available [4].
Procedure [5]:
1.
Ensure patient fasts from midnight.
2.
Weigh patient and document the weight.
3.
Insert intravenous cannula (hep-lock) for intravenous access between 8 and 9 a.m.
4.
Administer glucagon intramuscularly 1 mg (1.5 mg if patient weighs more than 90 kg) [1]. Confirm the medication doses with physician.
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