GH response to GHRH plus arginine is impaired in lipoatrophic women with human immunodeficiency virus compared with controls

Objective: GH secretion is impaired in lipodystrophic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients and inversely related to lipodystrophy-related fat redistribution in men. Less is known about the underlying mechanisms involved in reduced GH secretion in HIV-infected women.Design: A case–control, cross-sectional study comparing GH/IGF1 status, body composition, and metabolic parameters in 92 nonobese women with HIV-related lipodystrophy and 63 healthy controls matched for age, ethnicity, sex, and body mass index (BMI).Methods: GH, IGF1, IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), GH after GHRH plus arginine (GHRHCArg), several metabolic variables, and body composition were evaluated.Results: GH response to GHRHCArg was lower in HIV-infected females than in controls. Using a cutoff of peak GH %7.5 mg/l, 20.6% of HIV-infected females demonstrated reduced peak GH response after GHRHCArg. In contrast, none of the control subjects demonstrated a peak GH response %7.5 mg/l. Bone mineral density (BMD), quality of life, IGF1, and IGFBP3 were lowest in the HIV-infected females with a GH peak %7.5 mg/l. BMI was the main predictive factor of GH peak in stepwise multiregression analysis followed by age, with a less significant effect of visceral fat in the HIV-infected females. Conclusions: This study establishes that i) GH response to GHRHCArg is lower in lipoatrophic HIV- infected women than in healthy matched controls, ii) BMI more than visceral adipose tissue or trunk fat influences GH peak in this population, and iii) HIV-infected women with a GH peak below or equal to 7.5 mg/l demonstrate reduced IGF1, IGFBP3, BMD, and quality of life.