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Filling the gap between the heart and the body in acromegaly: a case-control study
Ivana Ságová1,2, Milan Dragula3, Marián Mokáň4
1Department of Endocrinology, National Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Ľubochňa, Slovakia. ivana.sagova1@gmail.com.
Insights
Acromegaly patients show increased cardiovascular issues, linked to elevated insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and body composition changes. These findings highlight the impact of disease activity on heart health.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Cardiology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases are common in acromegaly.
- Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels, along with body composition, may influence cardiovascular comorbidities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cardiovascular system parameters using echocardiography.
- To assess the relationship between cardiovascular parameters, disease activity (IGF-1 levels), and body composition in acromegaly patients.
Main Methods:
- Prospective enrollment of 129 acromegaly patients and 80 healthy controls.
- Echocardiography for cardiovascular assessment and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for body composition.
- Matching of controls to patients by age, gender, and BMI.
Main Results:
- Acromegaly patients exhibited higher left ventricle mass (LVM) and a 67% prevalence of left ventricle hypertrophy.
- IGF-1 levels, BMI, and lean mass positively correlated with LVM.
- Left atrium enlargement, diastolic dysfunction, and valvopathy (43%) were observed in acromegaly patients.
Conclusions:
- Acromegaly is associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities.
- IGF-1 levels and body composition significantly impact cardiovascular pathology in acromegaly.
Objective:
Cardiovascul diseases are the most common comorbidities in acromegaly. Potential parameters in pathology of cardiovascular comorbidities are changes in levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) as well as body composition parameters.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to examine morphological and functional parameters of the cardiovascular system by echocardiography and to assess its relationship with disease activity and body composition parameters.
Methods:
We prospectively enroled 129 acromegalic patients (82 females, 47 males) and 80 healthy controls (53 females, 27 males) matched for age, gender, and BMI. All patients underwent two-dimensional echocardiography. Body composition parameters were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Results:
Acromegaly patients presented with higher left ventricle mass (LVM) compared to controls (LVMI: 123 ± 45 g/m2 vs 83 ± 16 g/m2, P < 0.001). Prevalence of left ventricle hypertrophy in acromegaly patients was 67% (78% concentric, 22% eccentric). IGF -1 levels, BMI, and lean mass positively correlated with LVM in all acromegaly patients (P < 0.001). Fat mass positively correlated with LVM in females (R = 0.306, P = 0.005), but this correlation was not found in males. We did not find any difference in size of the left and right ventricle between acromegaly patients and controls. Acromegaly patients presented with left atrium enlargement, diastolic dysfunction and low incidence of systolic dysfunction. Valvopathy was found in 43% of patients with predominant (31%) prevalence of mitral regurgitation.
Conclusion:
Our study demonstrates higher prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities in acromegaly patients and the impact of IGF-1 levels and body composition parameters in pathology in some of these comorbidities.
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