A study of the endocrine syndrome in idiopathic haemochromatosis based essentially on the radioimmunoassay of three pituitary hormones was performed in 31 male patients. The mean levels of growth hormone, follicle‐stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone are rather high as compared with normal subjects. Hypoglycaemic stimulation, if sufficient, produces a good response in terms of growth hormone release. The values of all three hormones show a great deal of scatter, with a majority of normal values, some low values and a number of high or very high values. The authors reject the classical pathophysiologic hypothesis of a constant primary pituitary disturbance. The endocrinopathy may be both central and peripheral, with the peripheral disturbance occurring first or being predominant. In the latter case, the pituitary would either respond vigorously to the abolition of feedback or, in the case of pituitary lesions, present only a limited response.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.