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Growth Hormones in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia About one third of fibromyalgia patients have low levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-01), a surrogate marker for low growth hormone (GH) secretion. Among the many clinical features of growth hormone deficiency are diminished energy, dysphoria, impaired cognition, poor general health, reduced exercise capacity, muscle weakness, and cold intolerance. Through this study the researchers wanted to assess the clinical effects of treatment with growth hormone in 50 women with fibromyalgia and low IGF-01 levels. Daily growth hormone injections resulted in a prompt and sustained increase in IGF-01 levels. The treatment group showed a significant improvement over the placebo group at nine months in both the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score and the tender point score. There was a delayed response to therapy, with most patients experiencing improvement at the 6-month mark. After discontinuing growth hormone, patients experienced a worsening of symptoms. Researchers discovered that women with fibromyalgia and low IGF- I levels experienced an improvement in their overall symptomatology and number of tender points after nine months of daily growth hormone therapy. The researchers concluded that a secondary growth hormone deficiency may be responsible for some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. (American Journal of Medicine [1998], 104[3]: 227-231) |
