Cardiovascular disease and risk factors in adults with hypopituitarism

Ln 1992, Cuneo et al. (1992) reviewed, in this journal, the consequences of growth (GH) deficiency during adult life and coined the term 'Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) syndrome in adults'. Limited information was available then on cardiovascular disease and risk factors in adults with hypopituitarism. More data have been published since on cardiovascular morbidity in symptom-free hypopituitary adults. Several groups have also published results on the effects of GH therapy on cardiac structure and function and on the cardiovascular risk factors. We shall review here the epidemiological and experimental data on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in adult hypopituitarism. We shall also examine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in this group of patients and their potential causes focusing on the possible role of GH deficiency and the effects of GH replacement.