Growth hormone shows benefits for heart failure patients

[CYCLEON]

Jan 14 (HeartCenterOnline) - Human growth hormone (HGH) injections significantly improved the vascular function of heart failure patients, according to a new study. The study was conducted by researchers at the University Federico II School of Medicine in Naples, Italy and was published in the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Physicians often treat heart failure by prescribing medications that open the blood vessels, thus helping the heart to pump blood more efficiently through the entire circulatory system. These medications include ACE inhibitors, which have been hailed by the National Institutes of Health as the most significant factor in heart failure survival rates over recent years.

The current study investigated whether the vascular reactivity of heart failure patients could actually be corrected. Previous research has demonstrated HGH's role in causing blood vessels to be more flexible instead of hardened and narrowed, as is the case with atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Investigators sought to determine whether HGH might produce the same beneficial effect in heart failure patients.

The study involved sixteen patients who had dilated cardiomyopathy, ejection fractions below 40 percent and clinical evidence of heart failure despite treatment. For three months, all were given injections every other day. The patients knew in advance that half would be receiving HGH and the other half would be receiving an inactive substance (placebo), though the patients did not know which they were receiving throughout the study. Vascular studies were completed before and after treatment.

Researchers found corrected reactivity of the inner lining of the arteries (endothelium) among the patients who received HGH and no improvement among those who received placebo injections. The authors concluded that their data support the use of HGH in the treatment of heart failure.

[Mugs]

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[gearedup]

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