PEDIATRICS Vol. 48 No. 1 July 1971, pp. 103-109
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GROWTH HORMONE IN NEWBORN INFANTS DURING SLEEP-WAKE PERIODS

Bennett A. Shaywitz M.D.1, Jordon Finkelstein M.D.1, Leon Hellman M.D.1, and Elliot D. Weitzman M.D.1

1 Department of Neurology, Oncology and Steroid Institute of Research, Montefore Hospital and Medical Center, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York

Normal full-term newborn infants have been studied during a 3-hour period in which EEG, EMG, EKG and eye movements were recorded. Plasma HGH samples were obtained every 20 to 30 minutes in some infants by indwelling venous catheter, but in most by heel stick. Five infants of 2 days of age and eight infants between 4 and 8 days of age were studied.

In the 2-day-old group studied findings for the average plasma HCH in mµg/ml (mean ± S.E.) following at least 5 minutes of sleep (active and quiet) were 33.4 ± 7, 52.8 ± 11, and 43.5 ± 36 following 5 minutes of waking. Comparable values for the 4-to 8-day-old group were 9.1 ± 1.1, 9.5 ± 1.3, and 8.3 ± 1.2. Wide variation in individual samples was found for the 2-day-old's (3 to 150 µg/ml) while this was less so for the older groups (0 to 20.2 mµg/ml). However, only three samples out of a total of 95 had values less than 1 mµg/ml. It thus appears that no clear correlation between plasma HGH levels and sleep-wake cycles was evident in these infants. It is likely that as with other biologic rhythms, HGH rhythmicity develops at a later stage of cerebral maturation.