title: Effects of 3-year GH replacement therapy on bone mineral density in younger and elderly adults with adult-onset GH deficiency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known of the effects of long-term GH replacement on bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in elderly GH-deficient (GHD) adults. DESIGN/PATIENTS/METHODS: In this prospective, single-center, open-label study, the effects of 3-year GH replacement were determined in 45 GHD patients >65 years and in 45 younger control GHD patients with a mean age of 39.5 (S.E.M. 1.1) years. All patients had adult-onset disease and both groups were comparable in terms of number of anterior pituitary hormonal deficiencies, gender, body mass index, and waist:hip ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean maintenance dose of GH was 0.24 (0.02) mg/day in the elderly patients and 0.33 (0.02) mg/day in the younger GHD patients (P<0.01). The 3 years of GH replacement induced a marginal effect on total body BMC and BMD, whereas femur neck and lumbar (L2-L4) spine BMC and BMD increased in both the elderly and the younger patients. The treatment response in femur neck BMC was less marked in the elderly patients (P<0.05 vs younger group). However, this difference disappeared after correction for the lower dose of GH in the elderly patients using an analysis of covariance. There were no between-group differences in responsiveness in BMC or BMD at other skeletal locations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that GH replacement increases lumbar (L2-L4) spine and femur neck BMD and BMC in younger as well as elderly GHD patients. This supports the notion that long-term GH replacement is also useful in elderly GHD patients.
authors: Department of Endocrinology, Research Centre for Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gröna Stråket 8, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden. mariam.elbornsson@medic.gu.se
authors: Mariam
authors: M
authors: Elbornsson
authors: Galina
authors: G
authors: Götherström
authors: Celina
authors: C
authors: Franco
authors: Bengt-Åke
authors: BÅ
authors: Bengtsson
authors: Gudmundur
authors: G
authors: Johannsson
authors: Johan
authors: J
authors: Svensson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone