Post-treatment heterogeneity of cardiometabolic risk in patients with acromegaly: The impact of GH and IGF-1

Endocr Res. 2022 Feb;47(1):1-7. doi: 10.1080/07435800.2021.1931298. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Abstract

Background: Metabolic abnormalities are frequently seen in patients with acromegaly. However, it is not clear to what extent growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) contributes to the development of these abnormalities.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the impact of postoperative GH/IGF-1 on different aspects of metabolic abnormalities in patients with acromegaly.

Methods: This retrospective, registry-based study conducted on 102 patients with acromegaly. The impact of GH/IGF-1 on the cardiometabolic risk factors at 3-12 months after surgery has been investigated using linear and logistic regression models.

Results: In this study, each 1 ng/ml increase in the level of GH was significantly associated with a 2 mg/dl increase in the level of fasting blood glucose (FBG), a 0.5 mmHg increase in the level of systolic blood pressure (SBP), and a 0.9 mmHg increase in the level of diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Upon multivariate analysis, GH, but not IGF-1, significantly increased the odds of diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR; 1.2, 95% CI; 1.0-1.4, p = .025).

Conclusions: Our findings indicated at early postoperative stage, GH is significantly associated with the levels of FBG, SBP, and DBP. Moreover, GH, but not IGF-1, appears as a predictive factor for the presence of DM. However, neither GH nor IGF-1 could predict the presence of hypertension HTN, or dyslipidemia in this study.

Abbreviations: CVD: Cardiovascular disease; GH: Growth hormone; IGF-1: Insulin-like growth factor 1; BMI: Body mass index; HTN: hypertension; IPTR: Iran Pituitary Tumor Registry; WC: Waist circumference; MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging; FBG: Fasting blood glucose; HbA1C: Glycated hemoglobin; TG: Triglyceride; LDL: Low density lipoprotein; HDL: High density lipoprotein; SBP: Systolic blood pressure; DBP: Diastolic blood pressure.

Keywords: Cardiometabolic risk factors; GH excess; IGF-1; acromegaly; diabetes; hypertension.

MeSH terms

  • Acromegaly* / complications
  • Acromegaly* / surgery
  • Cardiovascular Diseases* / epidemiology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases* / etiology
  • Heart Disease Risk Factors
  • Human Growth Hormone*
  • Humans
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
  • Metabolic Diseases* / epidemiology
  • Metabolic Diseases* / etiology
  • Retrospective Studies

Substances

  • Human Growth Hormone
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I