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The European Journal of Endocrinology recently published this multicenter work from a large nationwide cohort of adult patients in GH treatment under the supervision of Christa C. van Bunderen, endocrinologist with the department of Internal Medicine of the Radboudumc.
The Dutch National Registry for Growth Hormone (GH) treatment in adults contains long-term clinical follow up data of more than 2500 patients treated with GH, being one of the largest nationwide cohorts on GH treatment in adults with many publications over the last decades. In an earlier study data form this Registry has demonstrated a remarkable sex difference in the occurrence of cardiovascular (CV) mortality despite GH treatment. In men the increased risk in GH deficiency seemed to diminish, where women remained with this increased risk compared to the general population.
The present study further investigated the efficacy GH treatment on CV risk factors and morbidity in women compared to men. The study found that men with GH deficiency did have a more beneficial effects of GH replacement therapy on CV risk factors during the first years of treatment compared to women. Although a speculation, the authors advise physicians to be particularly vigilant for suboptimal GH dosing in women immediately after starting GH replacement therapy which is modulated by the interaction with sex hormones. It would be interesting for future research to compare cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity and risk profile to a background population and relate them to circulating GH/IGF-1 levels.
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Read the study here: Exploring the sex difference in cardiovascular risk during growth hormone therapy in adults | European Journal of Endocrinology | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
