Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026
Author Spotlight: Assessing the Cardiovascular Profile of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Published on: September 27, 2024
Carotid intima-media thickness in children treated with growth hormone
Insights
Growth hormone (GH) treatment in children, even at high doses, did not show a link to increased carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), a marker for atherosclerosis. This study found no evidence of GH treatment impacting cardiovascular health markers in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Cardiovascular Health
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Ongoing debate exists regarding potential cardiovascular risks associated with high-dose growth hormone (GH) therapy.
- Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is a validated predictor of atherosclerosis development.
- Investigating the relationship between GH treatment and cIMT is crucial for understanding its long-term safety profile.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between growth hormone (GH) treatment and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in children.
- To compare cIMT levels in children receiving supraphysiological and physiological doses of GH with their respective control groups.
- To analyze other cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure, lipids, and glycemic control, in children undergoing GH treatment.
Main Methods:
- Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) was measured in pediatric patients undergoing GH treatment (supraphysiological and physiological doses) and in age- and gender-matched healthy controls.
- Patient groups included children treated for small for gestational age, Turner syndrome, SHOX deficiency, and GH deficiency.
- Blood pressure, lipid profiles, HbA1c, IGF-1, and IGFBP-3 levels were analyzed in children receiving GH therapy.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in cIMT levels were observed between children treated with GH (both high-dose and physiological doses) and their respective control groups.
- Linear regression analysis indicated that cIMT was significantly associated with HbA1c levels.
- cIMT was not significantly related to age, gender, BMI, pubertal stage, GH treatment indication, duration, dosage, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, or other cardiovascular risk factors.
Conclusions:
- The study found no evidence to support an association between growth hormone (GH) treatment and alterations in carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in children.
- These findings suggest that GH therapy, within the studied parameters, may not adversely affect early markers of atherosclerosis.
- Further research may explore the long-term cardiovascular outcomes in pediatric patients receiving GH treatment.
Background:
There is an ongoing discussion whether high doses of growth hormone (GH) may lead to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we studied the relationships between GH treatment and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), which is predictive of the development of atherosclerosis.
Methods:
We measured cIMT in 38 children with supraphysiological doses of GH (mean age 10.9 ± 2.2 years; 47% male; GH indication: small for gestational age, n = 31; Turner syndrome, n = 5; SHOX deficiency, n = 2) and in 38 age- and gender-matched healthy children without GH treatment. Furthermore, we examined cIMT in 61 children with physiological doses of GH (mean age 12.0 ± 3.1 years; 64% male; GH indication: GH deficiency) and in 61 age- and gender-matched healthy children without GH treatment. Moreover, we analyzed blood pressure, lipids, HbA1c, IGF-1, and IGFBP-3 in children treated with GH.
Results:
The cIMT levels did not differ significantly between children with and without GH treatment either in high-dose GH treatment or in physiological GH doses. In backwards linear regression analyses, cIMT was significantly related to HbA1c, but not to age, gender, BMI, pubertal stage, indication of GH treatment, duration or doses of GH treatment, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, or to any cardiovascular risk factor.
Conclusions:
We found no evidence that GH treatment is associated with changes in cIMT.
