Plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine in acromegaly

Abstract

Plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations were measured, in the supine resting position and in response to standing, in 10 unselected patients with active acromegaly, in 2 effectively treated acromegalic patients with normal serum growth hormone concentrations and in 15 nonacromegalic normal subjects. Plasma catecholamine concentrations were not significantly related to serum growth hormone levels or to the diastolic blood pressure in the acromegalic patients. Mean (+/- SE) plasma norepinephrine concentrations rose from 211 +/- 28 pg/ml supine to 501 +/- 65 pg/ml after 10 minutes standing in the active acromegalic patients and from 210 +/- 20 pg/ml supine to 502 +/- 54 pg/ml after 10 min standing in the normal subjects. Corresponding plasma epinephrine concentrations were 33 +/- 6 and 60 +/- 14 pg/ml in the acromegalics and 57 +/- 7 pg/ml in the normals. Thus, no abnormality in basal or stimulated plasma catecholamine concentrations was found in acromegalic patients.