ABSTRACT

Growth hormone is produced by the anterior pituitary gland and has a role in the regulation of protein, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism as well as in increasing growth in children. Its secretion is intermittent and occurs predominantly during sleep. Insulin resistance is a recognized feature of ataxia telangiectasia, an autosomal recessive condition consisting of marked telangiectasia of the nose, ears, conjunctiva, and skin creases, cerebellar ataxia, and impaired cell-mediated immunity. Insulin resistance is characterized by normal or elevated levels of plasma glucose, in the presence of moderate to extreme elevations in serum insulin concentration. Common causes of insulin resistance include obesity, polycystic ovaries, pregnancy, acromegaly, and cushing’s disease/syndrome. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is a family of autosomal recessive disorders of adrenal steroidogenesis in which there is deficient activity of one of the enzymes necessary for cortisol synthesis.