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Effects of growth hormone on exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary performance in patients with chronic heart failure

Serafino Fazio1, Emiliano A Palmieri, Flora Affuso

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular and Immunological Sciences, University Federico II School of Medicine, 80131 Naples, Italy. fazio@unina.it

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|August 19, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Growth hormone (GH) treatment significantly improved exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary function in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). These findings suggest GH may offer a new therapeutic avenue for managing CHF patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Exercise Physiology

Background:

  • Growth hormone (GH) has shown beneficial effects in experimental heart failure models.
  • Investigated GH's impact on exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary performance in dilated cardiomyopathy patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effects of GH administration on physical exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary performance in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Main Methods:

  • A randomized, double-blind trial involving 22 CHF patients (NYHA class II-III).
  • Patients received either GH (4 IU sc every other day) or placebo for 3 months.
  • Spirometry and symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing were performed before and after treatment.

Main Results:

  • GH treatment increased IGF-I levels and improved NYHA functional class, exercise duration, peak power output, peak oxygen consumption, and anaerobic threshold.
  • GH also improved ventilatory efficiency and chronotropic index without altering lung function.
  • Placebo group showed no significant improvements.

Conclusions:

  • GH administration enhanced physical exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary performance in CHF patients.
  • These findings provide insights into potential mechanisms of GH's benefit in CHF.
  • GH may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for improving outcomes in CHF.
Abstract

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