To explore the clinical profile and laboratory changes in three patients with
diabetes mellitus treated with recombinant
human growth hormone (rhGH). Results showed that the patient in the first case was diagnosed as T1DM according to the classical course of disease,
weight loss,
polyuria, polydispsia,
polyphagia, and positive GAD-Ab. The second patient's plasma
glucose and urine
glucose were at a high level, then stored immediately with the negative OGTT. But, the level of
insulin increased significantly suggesting there is
insulin resistance. In the last case, fasting plasma
glucose level was higher than 7.0 mmol/l several times. The level of HbA1c increased. In an oral
glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting
glucose > 7.0 mmol/l, plasma
glucose < 7.8 mmol/l two hours after a 75 g oral
glucose load. We postulate that the higher than expected incidence of
type 2 diabetes mellitus with GH treatment may be an acceleration of the disorder in predisposed individuals. The rhGH
therapy may eventually induce transitory
glucose metabolic disorder in a very small proportion of patients, which was restored gradually after the discontinuance of rhGH.