Key result
Six months of human growth hormone replacement therapy did not significantly change liver steatosis measured by controlled attenuation parameter in patients with severe adult growth hormone deficiency.
Why the study?
NAFLD is common in GHD, but the utility of controlled attenuation parameter to identify liver steatosis and track metabolic changes with rhGH therapy in severe AGHD needed evaluation.
Does human growth hormone replacement therapy improve liver steatosis measured by controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) in adults with severe growth hormone deficiency?
Cohort (n=22)
Open-label
Non-randomized
Yes
Does human growth hormone replacement therapy improve liver steatosis measured by controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) in adults with severe growth hormone deficiency?
Absolute Event Rate: 276.4% vs 297.2%
p-value: p=0.082
Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) is a useful non-invasive tool for identifying liver steatosis in hypopituitary patients, though 6 months of growth hormone replacement did not significantly alter liver stiffness or steatosis measurements.
Steatosis screening may be warranted in GH deficiency; small trial leaves open hrGH effects on CAP.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common in patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Some noninvasive techniques have been used to quantify liver fat, such as the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). Objective: To evaluate CAP as a tool to identify liver steatosis and its relationship with different clinical and biochemical metabolic parameters in a group of patients with severe adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD), and to compare the evolution of metabolic profiles after 6 months of human growth hormone (rhGH) replacement therapy in a subgroup of patients. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study at baseline of naive rhGH multiple pituitary hormonal deficiency (MPHD) hypopituitarism patients. A six-month intervention clinical trial in a selected group of a nonrandomized, noncontrolled cohort, was also applied. Results: Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was normal on severe AGHD patients. CAP evaluation showed steatosis on 36.3% of baseline patients (8/22), associated with higher BMI, waist circumference, insulin, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. According to steatosis degree by CAP, child-onset growth hormone deficiency (CO-GHD) was graded as 68.75% (11/16) S0, 12.5% (2/16) S1, and 18.75% (3/16) S3, whereas AO-GHD was graded as 50% (3/6) S0, 16.66% (1/6) S2, and 33.33% S3. After 6 months of hrGH replacement, CAP measurements did not change significantly, neither on group without hepatic steatosis at baseline (194.4 ± 24.3 vs 215.4 ± 51.3; p = 0.267), nor on group with hepatic steatosis (297.2 ± 32.3 vs 276.4 ± 27.8; p = 0.082). The significant improvement of body composition was observed only in the first group. Conclusions: We have demonstrated the importance of CAP as a non-invasive tool in the liver steatosis identification on hypopituitary patients. This method may be an important indicator of the severity of metabolic disorders in MPHD patients. In our study, no liver health modification in LSM at baseline, and after 6 months of rhGH replacement, were found. Longer studies can help to establish the potential repercussion of growth hormone replacement therapy on liver steatosis.
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Carvalho-Furtado et al. (2019) conducted a cohort in Severe adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) (n=22). Human growth hormone (rhGH) vs. Baseline (pre-treatment) was evaluated on Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) measurement in patients with hepatic steatosis (p=0.082). Six months of human growth hormone replacement therapy did not significantly change liver steatosis measured by controlled attenuation parameter in patients with severe adult growth hormone deficiency.
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