Growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I axis in type 1 diabetes

The precise mechanisms relating type 1 diabetes (T1D) and poor glycemic control to the axis of growth hormone (GH), insulin like growth factor- I (IGF-I), and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) remain to be definitively determined. GH resistance with low IGF-I as is frequently seen in patients with T1D is often related to portal hypoinsulization, and lack of upregulation of GH receptors. There are conflicting reports of the effect of a dysregulated GH/IGF-I axis on height in children and adolescents with T1D, as well as on chronic complications. This brief review discusses some of the interactions between the GH/IGF-I axis and T1D pathology, and vice-versa.