Impact of growth hormone therapy on quality of life in adults with turner syndrome.
BACKGROUND
GH and/or oxandrolone are used to promote growth in Turner syndrome (TS).


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare quality of life (QoL) in TS women with controls and determine the impact of growth promoting therapy on QoL in TS women.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional, case-control study.


METHODS
The study was conducted at an outpatient clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.


METHODS
PATIENTS included 111 TS women (age range 18-59 yr) and 111 randomly selected, age-matched women (25-54 yr) from the World Health Organization Monitoring Trends and Determinants for Cardiovascular Disease project (Göteborg, Sweden) served as controls.


METHODS
QoL was estimated by the Psychological General Well-Being scale (anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health and vitality) and the Nottingham Health Profile (physical mobility, pain, sleep, energy, social isolation, and emotional reactions).


RESULTS
TS women reported more social isolation than controls (P < 0.001). After age adjustment, significantly less pain (<0.05) was reported attributable to GH treatment within TS. No significant difference in any other subscales used could be shown. In TS, QoL was negatively affected by higher current age and age at diagnosis and positively affected by better body balance, fine motor function, and higher bone mineral density.


CONCLUSIONS
Social isolation was more commonly reported in the whole TS cohort than in the population. Except for less pain, no significant impact on QoL attributable to GH treatment could be found, despite the mean +5.1 cm final height.
Amundson
Emily
E
Section for Endocrinology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-41345 Göteborg, Sweden. emily.amundson@vgregion.se
Boman
Ulla Wide
UW
Barrenäs
Marie-Louise
ML
Bryman
Inger
I
Landin-Wilhelmsen
Kerstin
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects; D015519:Bone Density; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012934:Social Isolation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D014424:Turner Syndrome / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone