Short- and long-term effects of growth hormone on the heart

Objective To make a critical analysis of using growth hormone (GH) in patients with chronic heart failure and to asses its effects on the heart in long-term replacement. Methods We have studied 27 GHD patients (20 men; mean age: 36 ± 15 years; 11 with childhood onset GHD) in a longitudinal, prospective study to assess the effect of GH therapy on the cardiovascular system with a long-term follow-up. Results: After a mean period of 45.3 ± 29.6 months, there were no significant differences in echocardiographic parameters of cardiac structure or function. By contrast, the duration of exercise test improved after treatment (8:19 ± 3:27 versus 10:23 ± 3:25 min; p = 0.01) especially in the subgroup of patients with childhood onset of GH deficiency (7:02 ± 4:23 versus 11:33 ± 3:07 min; p = 0.004) but not in the adult onset GHD subgroup. Systolic blood pressure was significantly higher after treatment in the global group (118 ± 18.2 mmHg versus 128 ± 17.9 mmHg; p = 0.004) and in both subgroups. Conclusions The beneficial effects of GH replacement on the cardiovascular system is suggested but not fully proved and long-term GH substitution in GHD syndrome is not associated with significant changes in cardiac structure or function although these patients exhibit improved exercise capacity.