A comparison of insulin suppression tests performed with somatostatin and octreotide with particular reference to tolerability

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Octreotide and Somatostatin, published as a randomized controlled trial.

To evaluate the tolerability of insulin suppression test (IST) using octreotide instead of somatostatin, the researchers compared the steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) values and the safety during and after the test in 17 normal volunteers.

Why It Was Studied

The subject received IST twice (with somatostatin or with octreotide) in random order.

During the test, all subjects were infused with regular insulin and glucose simultaneously for 180 min.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 17 volunteers taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized study.

The volunteers were allocated by chance, so the Octreotide group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Plasma glucose, insulin and C-peptide were measured.

What Was Measured

During the test, all subjects were infused with regular insulin and glucose simultaneously for 180 min.

The subject response to the test was recorded during and one day after the test by a structured questionnaire.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Blood Glucose, C-Peptide, Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Insulin Secretion, Octreotide and Regression Analysis.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Octreotide and Somatostatin in 17 volunteers.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2001 (Diabetes research and clinical practice), a journal based in Ireland.

More context: the Octreotide compound page and the Somatostatin compound page, all human trials.