Growth hormone and CVD

NEW YORK, July 25 (Praxis Press) Growth hormone-deficient adults are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the effect of growth hormone replacement on inflammatory and other cardiovascular risk factors is unclear. To find out whether giving growth hormone to adults with low levels of this hormone improves risk factors for CVD, Sesmilo and colleagues performed a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 40 men with adult-onset growth hormone deficiency. They administered growth hormone or placebo for 18 months at a dose adjusted for normal serum insulin-like growth factor I level. They found that C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels decreased in growth hormone recipients compared with placebo recipients. In addition, lipid profiles improved in growth hormone recipients in the first 3 months compared with placebo recipients, but the improvement was not maintained from month 6 to month 18, and lipoprotein(a) levels increased. Short-term increases occurred in glucose levels,...