The cardiovascular effects of octreotide treatment in acromegaly: an echocardiographic study

Nine acromegalic patients were treated by the somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995 octreotide (Sandostatin (octreotide), Sandoz, Basle, Switzerland] 250 micrograms/day in 4 divided s.c. injections (50 + 50 + 50 + 100 micrograms) for 1 month, 250 micrograms/24 has continuous s.c. infusions for another month and thereafter 200 micrograms three times daily as s.c. injections. Echocardiography was performed before the treatment, following 1 month of octreotide s.c. infusion/injection and after 6 and 12 months of octreotide treatment. No differences in serum growth hormone, heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac contractility or left ventricular wall mass or wall thickness were found between the infusion and the injection periods. As compared to the pretreatment levels serum growth hormone decreased by 62 and 66% respectively following 6 and 12 months octreotide treatment. The heart rate per minute (+/- SD) decreased from the pretreatment level of 75 +/- 12 to 63 +/- 13 (P less than 0.007) at month 12. The systolic and the diastolic blood pressure decreased from the pretreatment level of 121 +/- 8 and 79 +/- 5 mmHg respectively to 108 +/- 7 (P less than 0.0007) and 71 +/- 7 mmHg (P less than 0.0001) respectively at month 12.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)