Nonalcoholic fatty liver in patients with Laron syndrome and GH gene deletion - preliminary report.
BACKGROUND
There is little information on the relationship between growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-I (GH/IGF-I) deficiency or IGF-I treatment on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) a disorder linked to obesity and insulin resistance.


OBJECTIVE
To find out whether the markedly obese patients with Laron syndrome (LS) and GH gene deletion have fatty livers.


METHODS
We studied 11 untreated adult patients with LS (5M, 6F), five girls with LS treated by IGF-I and five adult patients with GH gene deletion (3M, 3F), four previously treated by hGH in childhood.


METHODS
Fatty liver was quantitatively evaluated by ultrasonography using a phase array US system (HITACHI 6500, Japan). Body adiposity was determined by DEXA, and insulin resistance was estimated by HOMA-IR using the fasting serum glucose and insulin values.


RESULTS
Six out of 11 adult patients with LS, two out of the five IGF-I treated girls with LS and three out of five adult hGH gene deletion patients were found to have NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease).


CONCLUSIONS
NAFLD is a frequent complication in untreated and treated congenital IGF-I deficiency. No correlation between NAFLD and age, sex, degree of obesity, blood lipids, or degree of insulin resistance was observed.
Laron
Zvi
Z
Endocrinology and Diabetes Research Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva 49202, Israel.
Ginsberg
Shira
S
Endocrinology and Diabetes Research Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva 49202, Israel.
Webb
Muriel
M
Department of Gastroenterology, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
D000328:Adult; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000172:deficiency; D046150:Laron Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography
D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I