Reference Values

Reference Range:

Newborn (1 Day): 5-53 ng/mL.

Newborn (1 Week): 5-27 ng/mL.

Newborn (1-12 Months): 2-10 ng/mL.

Children and Adults: 0-6 ng/mL.

Response Testing (Children and Adults):

The assessment of GH secretory capacity is complicated because of the episodic nature of GH release from the pituitary. Basal GH levels can exhibit considerable variability throughout a 24-hour period, thus limiting their clinical utility. Alternatively, measurement of GH response to various stimuli has commonly been used to improve the diagnostic assessment of GH secretion. GH response to provocative stimuli among normal individuals, however, is highly variable. Response values greater than 10 ng/mL have historically been considered to reflect normal GH secretory function, while values below 10 ng/mL have been considered to indicate some degree of GH deficiency. However, it should be noted that this limit is arbitrarily derived. A significant percentage of normal controls exhibit response values well below this 10 ng/mL limit. The clinical research literature should be consulted for a more recent detailed review of the interpretation of GH response data.