Response of insulin, glucagon and growth hormone to arginine infusion in patients with chronic renal failure.

To determine whether glucose intolerance in patients with chronic renal failure could improve by hemodialysis, the effects of arginine infusion on the concentration of blood sugar, insulin, glucagon, growth hormone were examined in healthy volunteers, undialyzed and dialyzed patients with chronic renal failure. Plasma concentrations of sugar and hormones in undialyzed and dialyzed patients responded similarly to arginine infusion. While blood samples were collected at 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min after beginning infusion of arginine, the concentrations of sugar and hormones in both patients had no statistically significant differences. However, plasma concentrations of growth hormone in both patients 180 min after beginning of arginine infusion gave statistically significant differences. In the present study, the results suggest that hemodialysis might not improve the glucose tolerance in the patients with chronic renal failure.