Effect of Growth Hormone Deficiency on the Cardiovascular System

Growth hormone (GH) is a hormone responsible for the regulation of somatic cell growth, including the development of the heart and blood vessels, and their functions. GH deficiency is a clinical condition characterized by impaired activity, decreased quality of life, as well as the impaired composition of substances in the body. GH improves cardiac metabolism, reduces oxygen consumption and energy requirements, even in patients with heart failure who have increased wall stress and impaired glucose metabolism that is characterized by insulin resistance and fasting hyperinsulinemia. Patients with GH deficiency also suffer from abnormalities in coagulation factors, such as increased levels. In another study, young adult patients with GH deficiency were found to experience a decrease in left ventricular mass, decreased ejection fraction, as well as abnormal diastolic filling patterns. GH therapy significantly reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol but does not affect triglyceri de (TG). Growth hormone deficiency can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by affecting the prevalence of risk factor-related events, such as central obesity, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism disorders, increased proinflammatory cytokines, endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress, and morphological and cardiac dysfunction.