The Effect of Growth Hormone Therapy on Bone Mineral Density in Young Adults with Childhood-onset Growth Hormone Deficiency. |
Kyoung Soon Cho, Hyon Gyu Kim, Min Ho Jung, Byung Kyu Suh, Byung Churl Lee |
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. byungcl@catholic.ac.kr |
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Abstract |
PURPOSE Growth hormone (GH) has multiple beneficial effects in addition to its promotion of linear growth. Therefore adults with GH deficiency (GHD) have abnormal body composition, altered lipid metabolism, increased cardiovascular disease, and decreased bone mineral density (BMD). We evaluated the effect of GH therapy on BMD in young adults with childhood-onset GHD.
METHODS: 17 childhood-onset GHD adults (10 male, 7 female, mean age 24.5+/-5.5 yr) with or without continuous GH treatment after final height were studied. All subjects divided two groups; GH-treated group (n=6) and GH-untreated group (n=11). BMD in lumbar spine and proximal femur was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.
RESULTS The mean serum level of IGF-I concentration in the GH-untreated group was lower than in the GH-treated group (88.4+/-55.9 ng/mL vs. 358.7+/-196.8 ng/mL, P<0.05). The BMD of lumbar spine in the GH-treated group and GH-untreated group was 1.02+/-0.13 g/cm2 and 0.82+/-0.09 g/cm2 and the BMD of femur was 1.15+/-0.14 g/cm2 and 0.82+/-0.10 g/cm2 respectively. The BMD of the GH-treated group was significantly higher than the GH-untreated group (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION These findings support the need of continuous GH treatment after completion of growth and careful evaluation of BMD in adult patients with childhood-onset GHD. |
Keywords:
Growth hormone deficiency;Growth hormone;Bone density |
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