The aim of our study was to determine the serum levels of IGF-I, IGF-II, and their binding proteins IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 in young children 3 months to 2 years of age with nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFTT). 29 children with NOFTT and 32 normal controls were recruited and studied for auxologic and hormonal parameters. The NOFTT group had significantly higher serum concentrations of IGFBP-1 than the control group: 57.7 ± 18 vs. 48 ± 19 µg/l (p < 0.05). IGF-I and IGF-II serum levels were highly correlated to serum IGFBP-3 but there were no differences in the serum IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-3 levels between the groups. We conclude that IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP-3 are not useful for the evaluation of nutritional status in children, under the age of 2 years, with NOFTT.

Keywords:
Nonorganic failure to thrive, Insulin-like growth factors I and II, Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins 1 and 3, Infant
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