Cardiac effects of growth hormone in adults with growth hormone deficiency: a meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
Growth hormone (GH) treatment may improve morphological and functional cardiac parameters in adults with GH deficiency (GHD). However, clinical trials reported to date involved few patients and yielded variable effects.


RESULTS
We systematically reviewed blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials of GH treatment in adults with GHD and open studies in patients with GHD before and after GH treatment, evaluating the effects of GH on cardiac parameters assessed by echocardiography. Sixteen trials (9 blinded and 7 open), involving a total of 468 patients, were identified in 3 bibliographic databases. GH dosage, duration of treatment, and study populations varied among the studies. We conducted a combined analysis of effects on left ventricular mass (LVM), interventricular septum thickness (IVS), left ventricular posterior wall (LVPW), left ventricular end-systolic (LVESD) and diastolic (LVEDD) diameters, stroke volume, E/A ratio, isovolumic relaxation time (IRT), and fractional shortening. Overall effect size was used to evaluate significance, and weighted mean difference between GH and control was given to appreciate size of the effect. GH treatment was associated with a significant increase in LVM: +10.8 (SD: 9.3) g (P=0.02); IVS: +0.28 (0.38) mm (P<0.001), LVPW: 0.98 (0.22) mm (P=0.05), LVEDD: +1.34 (1.13) mm (P<0.001), and stroke volume: +10.3 (8.7) mL (P<0.001). A trend toward a difference in fractional shortening was observed: +1.1 (1.1)% (P=0.06). Overall effect sizes were not significant for LVESD, E/A, and IRT.


CONCLUSIONS
GH treatment is associated with a significant positive effect on LVM, IVS, LVPW, LVEDD, and stroke volume, as assessed by echocardiography, in adults with GHD.
Maison
Patrick
P
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Clinical Research Unit, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Henri Mondor University Hospital, Créteil and INSERM U258, Villejuif, France.
Chanson
Philippe
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006334:Heart Function Tests / Q000187:drug effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D013006:Growth Hormone