Failure of recombinant human growth hormone treatment to improve congestive heart failure in hypopitultarism

Growth hormone (GH) deficiency decreases left ventricular (LV) contractility, induces LV chamber dilatation and promotes progression to congestive heart failure. It is, however, controversial, whether GH replacement therapy in addition to standard medical heart failure therapy should be considered as routine treatment in GH deficient patients with heart failure. In the present report of a 64-year-old GH deficient patient with heart failure, we demonstrate by using Doppler echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and P-31 NMR spectroscopy that even a 12 month period of GH replacement therapy had no sustained effect on morphometric or functional parameters of LV performance nor on clinical signs or symptoms of heart failure. It is concluded that GH replacement therapy should currently not be regarded as standard heart failure therapy in patients with GH deficiency and should only be employed under careful monitoring including close follow-up in a standardized way.