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IGF-1 Standard Deviation Score

Meaning

The IGF-1 Standard Deviation Score, commonly abbreviated as IGF-1 SDS, is a clinical metric used to express an individual’s serum concentration of Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) relative to the expected mean value for their age and sex. This score is normalized to a healthy reference population, with a score of zero representing the average concentration. Clinicians use the SDS to objectively assess the somatotropic axis, providing a standardized measure of IGF-1 status that is essential for diagnosing and monitoring growth hormone deficiency or excess.