title: Age effects on growth hormone and testosterone responses to endurance exercise in patients with neuromuscular diseases.
abstract: We have investigated the effect of age on the changes in growth hormone (GH) and testosterone induced by muscular exercise in patients with neuromuscular diseases, by means of a test procedure which maintained compatibility. We investigated 21 control subjects and 36 patients. We found a significant increase in GH concentrations (+329%; p<0.0001) after 20 min of exercise on a bicycle ergometer. Testosterone concentrations showed no significant change. There was a significant negative correlation between the GH level after exercise and the age of the patients (R=-0.3, p=0.015). The influence of increasing age on the GH reaction in patients with neuromuscular disease is substantial and could have a significant influence on muscle mass, muscle strength and the time at which decompensation occurs in elderly patients with neuromuscular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Stuerenburg
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kunze