ESPE Abstracts

Background: Controversial data on ghrelin and leptin concentrations in patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) have been published. Little has addressed the correlation between Ghrelin and leptin with cardiac functions in patients with GHD.

Aim: To investigate the effect of one year Growth hormone (GH) therapy on serum levels of ghrelin and leptin in children with GHD and to study their correlations with cardiac functions and dimensions in patients with GHD.

Patients and methods: A prospective case-control study was performed on 23 pre-pubertal growth hormone deficient patients and 14 age, sex and BMI matched controls. Anthropometric measurements, echocardiography (conventional and cardiac tissue Doppler imaging) and measurement of serum levels of ghrelin and leptin were done before and after one-year therapy with GH.

Results: Untreated GHD patients had significant lower height (P=0.0001) when compared to controls. Ghrelin and Leptin levels were comparable between the two groups at baseline and after one year follow up without any statistical significant difference. Ghrelin in visit two correlated negatively with Ratio between maximum wave velocity of early diastolic filling across mitral annulus and maximum wave velocity of late diastolic filling (atrial wave) across mitral annulus by Doppler echocardiography, (Em/Am) in both visits (P=0.012 and 0.013 respectively), ejection fraction (EF) in visit two and left ventricular mass index (LVMi) in both visits (P=0.036 and 0.009 respectively). Leptin in visit two correlated positively with left ventricular diameter in diastole (LVEDd) in both visits and aortic root diameter in visit 2 (Ao) (P=0.009, 0.009 and 0.24 respectively). Neither ghrelin nor leptin showed correlation with other echocardiographic and cardiac tissue Doppler imaging parameters.

Conclusion: Treated and untreated GHD children did not show any difference in their serum levels of ghrelin and leptin, However Ghrelin correlated with Em/Am, EF and LVMi while Leptin correlated with LVEDd and AO.

Key words: GHD, Ghrelin, Leptin, cardiac