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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 289/3/E494    most recent 00013.2005v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (5) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Esposito, J. G. Articles by Ezzat, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Esposito, J. G. Articles by Ezzat, S.

Anabolic growth hormone action improves submaximal measures of physical performance in patients with HIV-associated wasting

¹Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Medicine; ²Graduate Department of Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Health; ⁴Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; and ³Freeman Centre for Endocrine Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Submitted 12 January 2005 ; accepted in final form 5 May 2005

Growth hormone (GH) treatment reverses the muscle loss allegedly responsible for diminished aerobic capacity and increased fatigue in patients with HIV-associated wasting. This study examined whether submaximal measures of physical performance can be used as objective measures of the functional impact of GH treatment-induced anabolism. We randomized 27 HIV-positive men [mean (SD) age, 43.9 (7.2) yr; body mass, 71.9 (10.4) kg; BMI, 23.1 (2.8) kg/m²] with unintentional weight loss despite antiretroviral therapy to receive GH (6 mg) or placebo in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial with a 3-mo washout. Lean body mass (LBM), maximum oxygen uptake (O_{2 peak}), ventilatory threshold (VeT), 6-min walk test (6MWT) distance and work, profile of mood states (POMS) fatigue and vigor scores, and Nottingham health profile (NHP) energy and physical mobility scores were measured. LBM significantly increased after 3 mo of GH treatment vs. placebo (means ± SE, 3.7 ± 0.6 vs. 0.3 ± 0.4 kg; P < 0.001). VeT significantly improved (17.6 ± 3.7 vs. –5.9 ± 2.5%; P < 0.001), but O_{2 peak} did not change significantly. 6MWT distance improved (24.9 ± 9.7 vs. 19.9 ± 11.6 m; P > 0.05) and 6MWT work increased significantly more after 3 mo of GH treatment (33.3 ± 8.8 vs. 16.5 ± 7.5 kJ; P < 0.05). POMS scores of fatigue and vigor and the NHP score of energy improved, yet the changes were not statistically significant. GH treatment improved VeT linearly to the increase in LBM (r =0.43, P = 0.037) and 6MWT work (r = 0.51, P = 0.008), and the increase in 6MWT work correlated with increase in LBM (r = 0.45, P = 0.024). Improvement in 6MWT work above the median (27.3 kJ) showed a decrease in fatigue (r = –0.62, P = 0.024). We concluded that GH treatment-induced LBM gains in HIV-associated wasting were functionally relevant, as determined by effort-independent submaximal measures of cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

human immunodeficiency virus wasting syndrome; human growth hormone; endocrine; exercise; physical fitness; fatigue