Detection of Autoantibodies Against hGH in Sera of Idiopathic Hypopituitary Children

Using reliable displacement radiobinding assay (RBA) and ELISA, the existence of anti-human growth hormone autoantibodies (hGHAA) was confirmed in idiopathic hypopituitary patients with growth impairment. Six of 35 hypopituitary patients (17.1%) and 1/85 (1.2%) control children proved positive for hGHAA by RBA (>control mean + 3 SD). IgG isotype-hGHAA by ELISA IgG (>control mean + 3 SD) were positive for 6/34 (17.7%) and 3/85 (3.5% hypopituitary and control children, respectively. Due to an asymmetry to the right of the ELISA IgG distribution, an alternative cutoff based on a nonparametric method was obtained, and positive results for hypopituitary children increased to 10/34 (29.4%). Three of 34 hypopituitary patients but no control children were positive for hGHAA of IgM isotype. The hGHAA were detected in children with or without perinatal problems. These autoantibodies may represent markers of a major autoimmune process involving a portion of the anterior pituitary and may contribute to the development of hypopituitarism in over 15% of hypopituitary children.