Endocrine Abstracts

The diagnostic approach to GH deficiency (GHD) in obese patients is complicated by the reduced spontaneous and stimulated GH secretion associated with overweight. A GH response to GHRH+arginine lower than 4.2 μg/l is currently considered indicative of GHD in obesity (Corneli et al., Eur J Endocrinol 2005). Aim of the study was to verify the diagnostic validity of this cut-off value by investigating the effect of acute pharmacological blockade of lipolysis on...

In thalassemic patients individual values of BMD measured by traditional DEXA are lower than those determined by QCT. The reason for this discrepancy is still controversial.Aim: To investigate bone features in a large group of thalassemic patients, compared with patients with anorexia nervosa, also characterized by precocious osteoporosis.Study design: Forty-six adult thalassemic subjects and 25 anorectic women were studied. In all...

Introduction: Previous data from our group suggested a role for the GH/IGF1 axis in the pathophysiology of osteoporosis in thalassemia (Clin Endocrinol 69:202, 2008). The present study was aimed at evaluating the relationships between circulating IGFs and bone metabolism and density in a very large series of adult thalassemic patients.Study design: One hundred and thirty-nine patients affected by thalassemia major (mean age 32.3±7.87 years) underwen...

GH and IGF-I exert an important role in the control of bone formation. Osteopenia and osteoporosis are a frequent recurrence in patients with thalassemia. Due to the high prevalence of GH deficiency (GHD) in adult thalassemic patients (Scacchi et al., Clin Endocrinol 2007), we investigated the possible role of GH - IGF-I abnormalities in the pathogenesis of the osteopenia/osteoporosis of this disease.Study: Sixty-four adult thalassemic pati...

GH deficiency (GHD) can be recognized in a not negligible proportion of thalassemic children, while data on the prevalence of this disorder in adult patients are lacking. Therefore, we elected to study the GH – IGF-I axis in a large group of adult thalassemic subjects.Study design: Ninety-four patients (69 with thalassemia major and 25 with thalassemia intermedia on stable transfusional regimen, 39 men and 55 women, aged 31.5±6.8 years, receivi...