Effect of 5 Years of GH Replacement on Atherosclerosis

Growth Hormone Deficiency Clinical Trial

— 5yrGH  

Official title:

Phase 4 Study of Recombinant GH on Intima-Media Thickness at Common Carotids and on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Hypopituitary Patients

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00462475
• Other study ID #: NeuroendoUnit-3
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• First received: April 18, 2007
• Last updated: October 15, 2007
• Start date: January 1996
• Est. completion date: December 2006

Study information

• Verified date: October 2007
• Source: Federico II University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Italy: National Monitoring Centre for Clinical Trials - Ministry of HealthItaly: The Italian Medicines Agency
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

Adult patients with hypopituitarism under adequate conventional hormone replacement therapy have reduced life expectancy due to excess vascular events (1-4). Deficiency in GH secretion (GHD) is likely to play a major role in determining the excess mortality, since it is associated with lipid abnormalities, visceral adiposity, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, hypertension, cardiac abnormalities and increased intima-media thickness (IMT) at major arteries (5).

Beneficial effects of growth hormone (GH) replacement on cardiovascular risk factors have been demonstrated in several studies of hypopituitary GHD patients (5). GH replacement improves body composition and lipid profile (5): it is accepted that management of dyslipidaemia is crucial in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and part of the excess vascular risk associated with hypopituitarism is likely to be due to dyslipidaemia (6). A meta-analysis of blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trials with low doses and long-duration GH treatment showed that GH replacement has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk by improving lean and fat body mass, total and LDL cholesterol levels, and diastolic blood pressure (7). Besides, GH replacement also induces improvement in cardiovascular markers (8), and cardiac performance (9). In small cohorts of GHD adults, beneficial effects of GH replacement for 6-24 mos have also been reported on surrogate parameters of atherosclerosis, such as intima-media thickness (IMT) at major arteries (10-13), while 6 months of GH deprivation is associated with an impairment of the cardiovascular risk profile (12). In a consistent series of men and women with hypopituitarism we reported, however, that two years of GH replacement is not adequate to normalize IMT levels at common carotid arteries (13).

To give further insights on the likelihood of reversal of early atherosclerosis in severe GHD patients after prolonged GH replacement, we designed this 5-yr prospective, controlled study. Only men aged ≤50 yrs and with severe GHD were enrolled to avoid gender and aging interference (13). Main outcome measure was IMT at common carotid arteries; secondary measure was prevalence of insulin-resistance syndrome according with the American College of Endocrinology (14).

Description:

This is an observational,5-yr prospective, controlled study. At study entry, all subjects underwent serum assay of IGF-I, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) measurement, total-, and HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and insulin level after an overnight fasting, and common carotid arteries ultrasonography. The oral glucose load (oGTT) was performed by measuring blood glucose every 30 minutes for 2 hours after the oral administration of 75 g of glucose diluted in 250 ml of saline solution. The conversion factors (mg/dl to mmol/l) for lipids and glucose were as follows: cholesterol 0.02586, triglycerides 0.01129, and glucose 0.05551. According with previous studies (13,19-21) blood pressure was measured at the right arm, with the subjects in relaxed sitting position. The average of six measurements (three taken by each of two examiners, in the same day, between 8.00-9.00 in the morning) with a mercury sphygmomanometer was used in all analysis.

In the patients, all parameters and carotid ultrasonography were re-evaluated after 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months while in controls they were re-evaluated after 60 months.

At study entry and at study end, in all of the patients and controls the prevalence of insulin-resistance syndrome (IRS) was evaluated according with the American College of Endocrinology (14) based on the presence of at least two criteria of the following: triglycerides levels ≥1.7 mmol/liter, HDL-cholesterol levels ≤1.0 mmol/liter, blood pressure above 130/85 mmHg, fasting glucose between 6.1 and 7 mmol/liter or 2 hr after oGTT between 7.7 and 11.1 mmol/liter.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 20
• Est. completion date: December 2006
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Male
• Age group: 18 Years to 50 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• male gender

• age <50 yrs to limit the effect of aging;

• body mass index <30 Kg/m2;

• no familial or personal history of cardiovascular diseases;

• no concomitant treatment with drugs known to interfere with glucose or lipid metabolism or to influence blood pressure at the time of study entry;

• no previous GH treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• female gender

• age >50 yrs;

• body mass index =30;

• familial or personal history of cardiovascular diseases;

• previous and present treatments with drugs known to interfere with glucose or lipid metabolism or to influence blood pressure;

• previous GH treatment in adult age

• GHD of childhood onset

• GHD due to previous Cushing's disease

Study Design

Observational Model: Case Control, Time Perspective: Prospective

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Dwarfism, Pituitary
• Growth Hormone Deficiency
• Hypopituitarism
• Pituitary Neoplasms
• Pituitary Tumors

Intervention

Drug:
• Recombinant Growth Hormone, Genotropin (Pfizer)

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Italy	Department of Molecular and Clinical Endocirnology and Oncology University Federico II of Naples	Naples

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Federico II University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Italy, 

References & Publications (21)

Abdu TA, Neary R, Elhadd TA, Akber M, Clayton RN. Coronary risk in growth hormone deficient hypopituitary adults: increased predicted risk is due largely to lipid profile abnormalities. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2001 Aug;55(2):209-16. Erratum in: Clin Endocr — View Citation

Aimaretti G, Corneli G, Razzore P, Bellone S, Baffoni C, Arvat E, Camanni F, Ghigo E. Comparison between insulin-induced hypoglycemia and growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone + arginine as provocative tests for the diagnosis of GH deficiency in adults. J — View Citation

Bates AS, Van't Hoff W, Jones PJ, Clayton RN. The effect of hypopituitarism on life expectancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996 Mar;81(3):1169-72. — View Citation

Borson-Chazot F, Serusclat A, Kalfallah Y, Ducottet X, Sassolas G, Bernard S, Labrousse F, Pastene J, Sassolas A, Roux Y, Berthezène F. Decrease in carotid intima-media thickness after one year growth hormone (GH) treatment in adults with GH deficiency. J — View Citation

Bülow B, Hagmar L, Mikoczy Z, Nordström CH, Erfurth EM. Increased cerebrovascular mortality in patients with hypopituitarism. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1997 Jan;46(1):75-81. — View Citation

Colao A, Cerbone G, Pivonello R, Aimaretti G, Loche S, Di Somma C, Faggiano A, Corneli G, Ghigo E, Lombardi G. The growth hormone (GH) response to the arginine plus GH-releasing hormone test is correlated to the severity of lipid profile abnormalities in — View Citation

Colao A, Di Somma C, Cuocolo A, Filippella M, Rota F, Acampa W, Savastano S, Salvatore M, Lombardi G. The severity of growth hormone deficiency correlates with the severity of cardiac impairment in 100 adult patients with hypopituitarism: an observational — View Citation

Colao A, Di Somma C, Cuocolo A, Spinelli L, Acampa W, Spiezia S, Rota F, Savanelli MC, Lombardi G. Does a gender-related effect of growth hormone (GH) replacement exist on cardiovascular risk factors, cardiac morphology, and performance and atherosclerosi — View Citation

Colao A, di Somma C, Cuocolo A, Spinelli L, Tedesco N, Pivonello R, Bonaduce D, Salvatore M, Lombardi G. Improved cardiovascular risk factors and cardiac performance after 12 months of growth hormone (GH) replacement in young adult patients with GH defici — View Citation

Colao A, Di Somma C, Filippella M, Rota F, Pivonello R, Orio F, Vitale G, Lombardi G. Insulin-like growth factor-1 deficiency determines increased intima-media thickness at common carotid arteries in adult patients with growth hormone deficiency. Clin End — View Citation

Colao A, di Somma C, Pivonello R, Cuocolo A, Spinelli L, Bonaduce D, Salvatore M, Lombardi G. The cardiovascular risk of adult GH deficiency (GHD) improved after GH replacement and worsened in untreated GHD: a 12-month prospective study. J Clin Endocrinol — View Citation

Colao A, Di Somma C, Pivonello R, Loche S, Aimaretti G, Cerbone G, Faggiano A, Corneli G, Ghigo E, Lombardi G. Bone loss is correlated to the severity of growth hormone deficiency in adult patients with hypopituitarism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999 Jun;8 — View Citation

Colao A, Di Somma C, Rota F, Pivonello R, Savanelli MC, Spiezia S, Lombardi G. Short-term effects of growth hormone (GH) treatment or deprivation on cardiovascular risk parameters and intima-media thickness at carotid arteries in patients with severe GH d — View Citation

Colao A, Di Somma C, Savanelli MC, De Leo M, Lombardi G. Beginning to end: cardiovascular implications of growth hormone (GH) deficiency and GH therapy. Growth Horm IGF Res. 2006 Jul;16 Suppl A:S41-8. Epub 2006 May 11. Review. — View Citation

Colao A, Marzullo P, Di Somma C, Lombardi G. Growth hormone and the heart. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2001 Feb;54(2):137-54. Review. — View Citation

Einhorn D, Reaven GM, Cobin RH, Ford E, Ganda OP, Handelsman Y, Hellman R, Jellinger PS, Kendall D, Krauss RM, Neufeld ND, Petak SM, Rodbard HW, Seibel JA, Smith DA, Wilson PW. American College of Endocrinology position statement on the insulin resistance — View Citation

Gola M, Bonadonna S, Doga M, Giustina A. Clinical review: Growth hormone and cardiovascular risk factors. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Mar;90(3):1864-70. Epub 2004 Dec 7. Review. — View Citation

Maison P, Griffin S, Nicoue-Beglah M, Haddad N, Balkau B, Chanson P; Metaanalysis of Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trials. Impact of growth hormone (GH) treatment on cardiovascular risk factors in GH-deficient adults: a Metaanalysis of Blinded, — View Citation

Pfeifer M, Verhovec R, Zizek B, Prezelj J, Poredos P, Clayton RN. Growth hormone (GH) treatment reverses early atherosclerotic changes in GH-deficient adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999 Feb;84(2):453-7. — View Citation

Rosén T, Bengtsson BA. Premature mortality due to cardiovascular disease in hypopituitarism. Lancet. 1990 Aug 4;336(8710):285-8. — View Citation

Tomlinson JW, Holden N, Hills RK, Wheatley K, Clayton RN, Bates AS, Sheppard MC, Stewart PM. Association between premature mortality and hypopituitarism. West Midlands Prospective Hypopituitary Study Group. Lancet. 2001 Feb 10;357(9254):425-31. — View Citation

* Note: There are 21 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Intima-media thickness at common carotid arteries at baseline and after 5 years		5 yrs
Secondary	Prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) syndrome (IRS) and LDL/HDL-cholesterol ratio at baseline and after 5 years		5 yrs