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Human Urinary Epidermal Growth Factor Excretion: Age, Sex, and Race Dependence^*

DAVID M. STOLL, LLOYD E. KING, JR., LARRY McNEIL and DAVID N. ORTH

Departments of Medicine, Divisions of Dermatology (D.M.S., L.E.K.) and Endocrinology (L.M., D.N.O.), Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, Tennessee 37232
The Veterans Administration Medical Center (D.M.S., L.E.K) Nashville, Tennessee 37203
Meharry Medical School (L.M.) Nashville, Tennessee 37208

Address all correspondence to: David N. Orth, M.D., Division of Endocrinology, A4215 Vanderbilt Medical Center North, Nashville, Tennessee 37232.

We measured the urinary excretion of immunoreactive epidermal growth factor (IR-EGF) in random urine specimens obtained from 358 ambulatory patients and normal subjects, aged 18–90 yr, with a homologous EGF RIA. We also measured IR-EGF excretion in 24-h urine collections from 40 additional normal subjects, aged either 20–29 or 60–69 yr, to detect possible artifacts introduced in the analysis of random urine specimens by the age-related decline in the glomerular filtration rate. Urinary IR-EGF excretion decreased in a linear fashion with increasing age. Women excreted more IR-EGF than men, and whites excreted more IR-EGF than blacks of the same age and sex, but the rate of decline with increasing age was similar for all groups. These findings may provide additional insight into the role of EGF in human renal physiology.

^* This work was supported in part by Research Grants 2-R01-AM-19739, 5-P17-HL-14214, 5-P30-AM-26657, 5-R25-CA-19429 (to D.N.O.), and 2-R01-AM-18526 (to L.E.K.) from the NIH and funds from the V.A. (to L.E.K.).

Current address: Department of Dermatology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, 1511 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90027.

Received November 18, 1987.