Factors Associated with Bone Metabolism in Acromegalic Patients: Hypogonadism and Female Gender

The purpose of the study was to determine the factors associated with bone metabolism in acromegalic patients. Thirty three patients with acromegaly who had been followed on a regular basis in the endocrinology clinic were enrolled for the study. Among the factors acting upon bone metabolism, age, gender, body mass index (BMI), duration and activity of the disease, length of remission, treatment modalities and functional status of the pituitary were evaluated. Their influences on the determinants of bone remodelling and bone mineral density (BMD) were tried to be elucidated. The median age of the 33 acromegalics (19 females, 14 males) was 39.73 +/- 10.1 years. Twenty-three patients (9 males and 14 females) were eugonadal. Ten patients had been diagnosed with history of at least one year of untreated hypogonadism (5 males and 5 females; for 1 - 10 years). The BMD values of the lumbar vertebrae, the femur and the radius were correlated with each other. Patients were grouped according to their T-scores as decreased, normal, and increased BMD. Groups were similar with regard to age, BMI, gender, duration of disease, and remission, GH, IGF-1, IGFBP-3 levels, markers of bone turnover. Presence of hypogonadism and duration of hypogonadism revealed statistically significant difference among the 3 groups (p = 0.005 and p = 0.035, respectively). Hypogonadal acromegalic patients had decreased BMD compared to eugonadal acromegalics and healthy population while the eugonadal female acromegalic patients revealed increased BMD of lumbar vertebrae, femur, and distal radius compared to the sex-matched healthy population.