Endocrine Abstracts

Patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) have many clinical features in common with Cushing’s syndrome (glucocorticoid excess) - notably visceral obesity, insulin resistance, osteoporosis and increased vascular mortality. Within key metabolic tissues, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) converts cortisone to the active glucocorticoid, cortisol, and thus amplifies local glucocorticoid action. We hypothesise that 11β-HSD1 expression is neg...