Cardiovascular Prognosis of Subclinical Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) worsens prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the cardiovascular prognosis in patients with stable or mildly symptomatic COPD remains unclear. Here, we sought to determine the long-term cardiovascular events in patients with subclinical or early-stage COPD with concomitant CAD.

[Physiology of the GH-IGF axis].

Growth, the main characteristic of childhood and adolescence, has a similar pattern in the majority of the individuals. Genetic background and GH-IGF axis are the factors that directly influence this process. Pituitary GH acts on growth mainly through the regulation of IGF system.

Lack of evidence of premature atherosclerosis in untreated severe isolated growth hormone (GH) deficiency due to a GH-releasing hormone receptor mutation.

Background: GH deficiency (GHD) acquired at adult age as a result of pathological processes of the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus causes changes that are associated with worsening cardiovascular risk. They include increase in abdominal obesity, total and low- density lipoprotein cholesterol, and C-reactive protein. GHD adults also have thickening of the carotid arteries.

Thyroid morphology and function in adults with untreated isolated growth hormone deficiency.

Objective: GH influences thyroid function and anatomy. Although goiter is frequent in acromegalic patients, the effects of GH deficiency (GHD) are difficult to assess, because hypopituitaric subjects who lack GH often also have a partial or complete deficit of TSH.

Study Design: We studied thyroid morphology and serum levels of thyroid hormones in adult members of a large Brazilian kindred with untreated isolated GHD due to a homozygous mutation in the GHRH receptor gene (GHRHR; nine men and 15 women; GHD group) and compared them to subjects heterozygous for the same mutation (eight men and 10 women; HET group) and subjects homozygous for the wild-type allele [seven men and 11 women; control (CO) group].

Familial isolated growth hormone deficiency is associated with increased systolic blood pressure, central obesity, and dyslipidemia.

To assess the metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of GH deficiency (GHD) on cardiovascular risk factors, we studied a homogeneous population with GHD due to a homozygous defect in the GHRH receptor gene. Anthropometric, metabolic, and cardiovascular measurements (at rest, during treadmill exercise, and during orthostatic stress) and echocardiographic data were obtained from 16 GH-naive, GH-deficient (GHD) adults and 31 age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched control (CO) subjects. The percentage of fat mass, waist to hip ratio, and total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol were higher in the GHD group.