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The plasma sugar, free fatty acids (FFA), 11-hydroxycorticosteroids (11-OHCS) and growth hormone (GH) response to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia, have been studied in 19 patients with primary myxoedema and 13 normal subjects. Nine of the myxoedematous patients were restudied after treatment. The plasma 11-OHCS response to lysine vasopressin (LVP) was studied in the myxoedematous subjects and again in eight of them after treatment.

In myxoedema the plasma sugar falls to a lesser extent and more slowly in response to insulin than normal and takes longer to recover. The fall in plasma FFA is not different from normal, but recovery of plasma FFA is delayed. The responses to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia of plasma GH and 11-OHCS may be smaller than normal in myxoedema and tend to improve on treatment. Altered GH and 11-OHCS responses to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia in myxoedema are not necessarily due to pituitary or hypothalamic dysfunction. No difference was found in the response of plasma 11-OHCS to LVP before and after treatment. Pituitary function cannot be fully assessed in the presence of hypothyroidism.