Table 3.
Comparative analysis of cortisol, growth hormone, glucose and insulin fluctuations between patients with a history of pituitary disease (n=62) and healthy controls (n=77) (Mann-Whitney U test).
| CORTISOL [µg/dl] | PATIENT, n=62 | CONTROL, n=77 | p | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEAN | SD | MEAN | SD | ||
| Minimal value | 7.04 | 3.09 | 8.89 | 4.03 | 0.0040 |
| Maximal value | 15.43 | 6.49 | 18.45 | 5.32 | 0.0036 |
| DECLINE versus 0’ min |
3.31 | 3.19 | 6.06 | 4.97 | 0.0002 |
| Δ (maximal minus minimal value) | 8.29 | 5.71 | 9.56 | 5.39 | 0.1856 |
| GROWTH HORMONE [ng/ml] | |||||
| Minimal value | 0.45 | 1.14 | 0.59 | 1.27 | 0.4927 |
| Maximal value | 5.10 | 5.77 | 13.76 | 9.27 | <0.0001 |
| DECLINE versus 0’ min |
0.54 | 1.34 | 0.94 | 1.68 | 0.1216 |
| Δ (maximal minus minimal value) | 4.65 | 5.56 | 13.17 | 9.27 | <0.0001 |
| GLUCOSE [mg/dl] | |||||
| Minimal value | 69.15 | 10.46 | 63.46 | 9.82 | 0.0013 |
| Maximal value | 137.65 | 24.10 | 130.66 | 27.75 | 0.1211 |
| DECLINE versus 0’ min |
13.54 | 8.23 | 18.55 | 12.57 | 0.0074 |
| Δ (maximal minus minimal value) | 68.50 | 23.37 | 68.43 | 24.29 | 0.9872 |
| INSULIN [µU/ml] | |||||
| Minimal value | 5.56 | 4.80 | 8.88 | 27.52 | 0.3544 |
| Maximal value | 69.86 | 40.27 | 98.92 | 106.98 | 0.0470 |
| DECLINE versus 0’ min |
4.22 | 3.77 | 2.86 | 27.53 | 0.6969 |
| Δ (maximal minus minimal value) | 64.30 | 37.85 | 93.12 | 102.62 | 0.0400 |
Statistically significant differences are highlighted in red.