Endocrine Studies in Health and Disease

This study will evaluate healthy normal volunteers and patients with a variety of endocrine disorders to 1) learn more about conditions that affect the endocrine glands (glands that secrete hormones) and 2) train physicians in endocrinology.

Patients with endocrine-related conditions and healthy volunteers of all ages may be eligible for this study.

All participants will have a physical examination medical and history. They may be required to provide blood, saliva or urine samples and undergo ultrasound (using sound waves) or magnetic resonance (using a magnetic field) imaging to visualize internal body structures.

Some healthy adult volunteers will have hormone-stimulating tests to assess endocrine function. These tests measure blood hormone levels before and after injection of a synthetic form of a hormone. A device called a heparin lock, through which the hormone is injected and the blood samples are collected, is placed in a vein in the arm or hand. Blood samples are drawn before the hormone is injected and at various intervals after the injection to measure levels of the hormone. These tests, which last from 1 to 3 hours, may include the following:

1. CRH stimulation test corticotropin-releasing hormone is given to test pituitary and adrenal gland function
2. ACTH stimulation test adrenocorticotrophic hormone is given to test adrenal gland function
3. LHRH stimulation test luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone is given to test pituitary gland function
4. TRH stimulation test thyroid-releasing hormone is given to test pituitary and thyroid gland function
5. GHRH stimulation test growth hormone releasing hormone is given to measure growth hormone levels.

An oral glucose tolerance test, which is similar to the stimulation tests, may also be done to measure blood glucose (sugar) and insulin levels after drinking a sugary liquid.

Healthy volunteers and patients with a hereditary endocrine disorder and their family members may also be asked to provide a blood sample for genetic studies of inherited endocrine disorders. Patients with endocrine-related disorders may be offered medical or surgical treatment for their disorder.

AcAccess http://turners.nichd.nih.gov/ for additional study publications.