In conclusion, the present study indicates that growth hormone de-
ficiency is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis in children.
Positive effects of rhGH administration on the lipid profile and
CIMT of the subjects was confirmed after 1 year of treatment. However,
Table 1
Characteristics and metabolic and cardiovascular parameters of growth hormone-deficient children at baseline, after 1 year of treatment and control.
Before treatment (n = 40) After treatment (n = 40) Control (n = 40) p1 p2 p3
Age (y) 12.3 ± 2.04 – 12.1 ± 2.23 – – 0.622
Growth velocity 3.00 (2.00–3.60) 8.00 (7.00–9.00) – b0.001 – –
Height SDS −2.75 ± 0.42 −2.05 ± 0.59 0.27 ± 0.81 b0.001 – b0.001
Weight SDS −1.29 ± 0.75 −0.27 ± 1.15 0.07 ± 0.87 0.942 – 0.093
BMI SDS −0.00 ± 1.1 0.04 ± 1.22 −0.01 ± 0.96 0.832 – 0.981
TC (mg/dL) 157.55 ± 26.9 149.6 ± 20.1 140.92 ± 20.87 0.016 0.062 0.004
TG (mg/dL) 86.58 ± 28.12 90.08 ± 28.59 75.75 ± 23.75 0.489 0.017 0.070
HDL (mg/dL) 92.50 ± 22.97 83.65 ± 12.0 82.38 ± 15.77 0.003 0.685 0.025
Ai 3.69 (3.20–4.10) 2.63 (2.29–3.17) 2.71 (2.39–3.31) b0.001 0.333 b0.001
IGF1 SDS −1.85 ± 1.14 0.47 ± 1.48 0.44 ± 1.23 b0.001 0.922 b0.001
IGFBP3 SDS −0.40 (−1.13–0.05) 1.33 (0.90–1.90) 1.39 (0.65–2.27) b0.001 0.452 b0.001
Left CIMT (mm) 0.40 (0.39–0.42) 0.39 (0.37–0.41) 0.38 (0.35–0.40) b0.001 0.421 0.005
Right CIMT (mm) 0.39 (0.37–0.41) 0.38 (0.37–0.39) 0.37 (0.35–0.38) b0.001 0.180 0.002
The data are expressed as means ± standard deviation or medians (Q1–Q3), as indicated. BMI SDS = body mass index standard deviation score; TC = total cholesterol; TG = triglyceride;
HDL = high-density lipoprotein; LDL = low density lipoprotein; IGF-1 = insulin-like growth factor-1; IGFBP3 = insulin-like growth factor binding protein3; Ai = atherogenic factor;
CIMT = carotid intima media thickness.
p1 refers to the parameters in growth hormone-deficient children at baseline and after 1 year of treatment; p2 refers to the parameters of treated growth hormone-deficient children and
controls. p3 refers to the parameters in growth hormone-deficient children and controls.
The bold values means that they are statistically significant.
296 C. Binay et al. / Growth Hormone & IGF Research 25 (2015) 294–297
long-term studies of a greater number of GHD children are needed to
understand the exact mechanism underlying the effect of growth and
the IGF-1 axis on the vascular endothelium.