Growth Hormone Deficiency Common in Hepatitis C Patients, but Improves with Inte

[Guest guest]

Growth Hormone Deficiency Common in Hepatitis C Patients, but Improves with Interferon-based Treatment

By Liz HighleymanPrior studies have shown that interferon, a naturally occurring cytokine used to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, has multiple but contradictory effects on secretion of pituitary hormones. The pituitary is the "master gland" in the brain that produces several hormones which control the activity of endocrine glands throughout the body.

The growth hormone (GH) is a protein hormone released from the anterior pituitary gland under the control of the hypothalamus.

To further explore this topic, German researchers prospectively assessed basal and stimulated pituitary hormone secretion in 21 chronic hepatitis C patients before and during antiviral therapy with pegylated interferon alpha plus either ribavirin or the chemically related agent levovirin. Baseline and stimulated secretion of growth hormone (GH), cortisol, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured using standard pituitary function tests before therapy in all 21 participants and during therapy in 17 patients. Results

• Before therapy, 17 patients (81%) had severe GH insufficiency and 9 of these had low insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations. • Basal and stimulated GH concentrations increased significantly during therapy, reducing the number of patients with severe GH insufficiency to 4; IGF-1 levels, however, remained low. • Basal prolactin and TSH concentrations were normal before and during interferon-based therapy, while thyroid-releasing hormone (TRH)-stimulated concentrations increased significantly during therapy. • The adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)/cortisol axis, basal and stimulated gonadotropin, and testosterone concentrations were normal throughout the study. • Neither HCV RNA level nor transaminase (ALT and AST) levels were correlated with hormone concentrations before or during therapy.

Conclusion"GH insufficiency is common in patients with chronic HCV infection," the authors concluded. "While GH secretion improves during antiviral therapy, IGF-1 remains low, indicating persistent GH resistance of hepatocytes.""Whether improvement in GH secretion during treatment is due to a direct drug effect or related to the suppression of viral load could not be differentiated, as most patients demonstrated a positive virologic response," they added.01/08/08

Reference

[Guest guest]

wonder if taking GH would help? wrote: Growth Hormone Deficiency Common in Hepatitis C Patients, but Improves with Interferon-based Treatment By Liz HighleymanPrior studies have shown that interferon, a naturally occurring cytokine used to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, has multiple but

contradictory effects on secretion of pituitary hormones. The pituitary is the "master gland" in the brain that produces several hormones which control the activity of endocrine glands throughout the body. The growth hormone (GH) is a protein hormone released from the anterior pituitary gland under the control of the hypothalamus. To further explore this topic, German researchers prospectively assessed basal and stimulated pituitary hormone secretion in 21 chronic hepatitis C patients before and during antiviral therapy

with pegylated interferon alpha plus either ribavirin or the chemically related agent levovirin. Baseline and stimulated secretion of growth hormone (GH), cortisol, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured using standard pituitary function tests before therapy in all 21 participants and during therapy in 17 patients. Results • Before therapy, 17 patients (81%) had severe GH insufficiency and 9 of these had low

insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations. • Basal and stimulated GH concentrations increased significantly during therapy, reducing the number of patients with severe GH insufficiency to 4; IGF-1 levels, however, remained low. • Basal prolactin and TSH concentrations were normal before and during interferon-based therapy, while thyroid-releasing hormone (TRH)-stimulated concentrations increased significantly during therapy. • The adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)/cortisol axis, basal and stimulated gonadotropin, and testosterone concentrations were normal throughout the study. • Neither HCV RNA level nor transaminase (ALT and AST) levels were correlated with hormone concentrations before or during therapy. Conclusion"GH insufficiency is common in patients with chronic HCV infection," the authors

concluded. "While GH secretion improves during antiviral therapy, IGF-1 remains low, indicating persistent GH resistance of hepatocytes.""Whether improvement in GH secretion during treatment is due to a direct drug effect or related to the suppression of viral load could not be differentiated, as most patients demonstrated a positive virologic response," they added.01/08/08 Reference Jackie