A preliminary study of growth hormone in the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy

Article Abstract:

Growth hormone may improve cardiac function in cases of heart failure resulting from dilated cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy refers to the enlargement of the left ventricle without appropriate thickening of the heart wall. Researchers gave growth hormone for three months to seven patients with dilated cardiomyopathy patients and moderate heart failure. Heart structure, blood flow, and exercise capacity was monitored before treatment, immediately after treatment, and three months after the end of treatment. Administration of growth hormone appeared to cause significant growth of heart muscle in the left-ventricular wall, improve the heart's pumping ability and efficiency, and increase the patient's exercise capacity. These effects were diminished but still apparent three months after treatment was stopped. The two-fold increase in the efficiency of the left ventricle that was observed following treatment might be explained by the reduced stress in a thicker heart wall.

Physiological aspects, Drug therapy, Hypertrophy

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Growth hormone use in normal, short children--a plea for reason

Article Abstract:

Doctors should not treat every short child with growth hormone. Growth hormone is usually given to children with growth hormone deficiency, Turner's syndrome, or chronic kidney disease. However, some doctors are now prescribing it for healthy children who happen to be short. A 1996 survey found that most endocrinologists would not recommend growth hormone for these children unless their height was below the third percentile. A 1999 study of growth hormone use in healthy short children found that although they grew taller than children not treated, they still did not achieve their expected height based on their parents' height.

Care and treatment, Editorial, Stature, Short, Short stature

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Incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy and detection of HIV in myocardial cells of HIV-positive patients

Article Abstract:

HIV seems capable of infecting heart cells and causing various types of heart disease. Researchers followed 952 HIV patients for an average of five years. During that time, 8% of the patients developed dilated cardiomyopathy, which is an early sign of heart failure. Most of these patients also had myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle. T cells were found in biopsy samples of heart tissue, indicating a possible autoimmune attack. HIV was also found in some samples. It is not clear whether HIV attacks heart cells directly or causes an autoimmune response.

Causes of, Complications and side effects, HIV infection, HIV infections, Myocarditis

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