title: [Acromegalic cardiopathy: a morphofunctional study with color-Doppler echocardiography].
abstract: We used color-Doppler echocardiography in an investigation of cardiac morphology and function to verify the cardiac anatomic and functional changes in acromegalic patients with or without hypertension and hyperlipemic states. Fifteen patients with growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (mean age: 47.9 years) and 15 healthy control subjects were studied. We measured serum growth hormone (GH), somatomedin-C, cholesterol, triglyceride levels and carried out echocardiographic studies of the following cardiac morpho-functional parameters: left ventricular diameter, volume, mass and wall systolic stress. Serum GH and somatomedin-C levels were significantly higher in acromegalic patients than in controls (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001 respectively). Echocardiography evidenced increased left ventricular mass (60% of the acromegalic patients; p < 0.05) and increased wall systolic stress (53.3%; p < 0.05). Color-Doppler analysis evidenced abnormal diastolic function in 8 acromegalic patients (p < 0.001). We thus conclude that the most characteristic feature of acromegalic heart disease is left ventricular involvement, diastolic dysfunction, increased left ventricular mass or wall systolic stress. The pathogenesis is most probably multifactorial: essential hypertension, associated with slow and progressive evolution of heart disease, appears to be a determining factor.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Endocrinologia, Università degli Studi di Messina.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavalli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Gregorio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nicosia
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cannavò
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aragona
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trimarchi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arrigo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Gregorio
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000328:Adult; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone
vernacular_title: Cardiopatia acromegalica: studio morfo-funzionale con ecocardiografia color-Doppler.