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Effects of treatment with octreotide in acromegalic patients--a multicenter Italian study. Italian Multicenter Octreotide Study Group
- Source :
- European journal of endocrinology. 133(4)
- Publication Year :
- 1995
-
Abstract
- Treatment of acromegaly is effective in reversing the reduced life-span of patients only when serum growth hormone (GH) concentrations are lowered to less than 2.5 micrograms/l. Usual treatments achieve this goal in no more than 50-60% of patients. The effects of octreotide were studied in a prospective, open label study with 68 acromegalic patients enrolled in 10 Italian centers. Octreotide was administered sc at a dose of 100 micrograms t.i.d. for 1 year. After 3 months of therapy, octreotide was effective in decreasing serum GH levels below 2.5 micrograms/l in 16 out of 64 acromegalic patients (25%). Fifteen of them had pretreatment GH levels below 25 micrograms/l. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels normalized in about 40% of patients. No further GH reduction was observed after 1 year of treatment. The presence of abnormal GH responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone was reduced from 54 to 24% and from 16 to 12%, respectively. Tumor shrinkage was observed in 50% of 26 non-irradiated patients after 12 months of treatment. Both basal and TRH-stimulated serum prolactin levels significantly decreased in the 11 hyperprolactinemic patients. Although serum thyrotropin, free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine concentrations were not modified, a significant reduction of thyrotropin response to TRH was observed in the 9th month of therapy. In non-diabetic patients, an increase of mean blood glucose levels without modifications of fasting morning concentrations was found. About one-quarter of the patients with overt diabetes mellitus had an impairment of their metabolic control. Main clinical symptoms of acromegaly improved in 70-80% of patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
- Subjects :
- Adenoma
Adult
Blood Glucose
Male
Thyroid Gland
Glucose Tolerance Test
Middle Aged
Octreotide
Prolactin
Diabetes Complications
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
Italy
Growth Hormone
Acromegaly
Diabetes Mellitus
Humans
Insulin
Female
Pituitary Neoplasms
Prospective Studies
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone
Ultrasonography
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 08044643
- Volume :
- 133
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- European journal of endocrinology
- Accession number :
- edsair.pmid..........92b5262a21306b4c5a5b1c15e4268edf