A determination of the pre-analytical storage conditions for insulin like growth factor-I and type III procollagen peptide.

Objective: IGF-I and type III procollagen (P-III-P) have been proposed as markers to detect GH abuse. This study aims to determine whether the pre-analytical storage temperature or delayed centrifugation affect the measured IGF-I and P-III-P concentrations.

Design: Observational study.

Challenges in detecting the abuse of growth hormone in sport.

Background: Growth hormone (GH) is reputed to be in widespread use in the sporting arena as a performance-enhancing agent and is on the list of banned substances published by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The detection of GH abuse poses many challenges. Unlike many substances of abuse, such as synthetic anabolic steroids, GH is a naturally occurring substance; therefore, demonstration of exogenous administration must rely on detecting concentrations in excess of an established reference interval.