A rise in circulating glucose normally causes a suppression of GH to below 1mu/l (0.5mg/ml) but this is not the case in acromegaly (Fig. 3 .1 5 ) . Usually, only a slight or no fall in serum GH occurs in acromegaly and there may even be a paradoxical rise. This phenomenon is not specific to acromegaly and may also occur in severe hepatic or renal disease, in anorexia nervosa, in Laron's syndrome and in patients on heroin or L-dopa. Dopamine and related drugs cause a rise in serum GH levels in normal subjects.
