Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) and multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (MPHD): changes during growth hormone (GH) replacement (#362)
Objective: To identify domains in HRQoL attributable to GH in patients with hypopituitarism.
Methods: HRQoL was measured by the Quality of Life–Assessment of Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults (QoL-AGHDA) total score and its five domains (memory and concentration, tiredness, tenseness, social isolation, and self-confidence) at baseline (BL) and after 12 months of GH replacement. Age, gender, ethnicity, country, baseline body mass index (BMI), time since diagnosis of GH deficiency (in years), and childhood and adulthood disease onset were included as variables in a general linear model. Data expressed as mean ± SD.
Results: Observational data were obtained from KIMS (Pfizer International Metabolic Database). Data from 1577 patients (53% female, 96% Caucasian, 10% IGHD, 72% BMI > 25 , age 45 ± 13.9 years) were included in the analysis. At BL, total QoL-AGHDA score and tiredness domain scores were significantly more impaired (higher scores) in the IGHD compared to the MPHD group. HRQoL improvement occurred between BL and 1 year in both groups for total QoL-AGHDA score and its five domains, but to a lesser extent in the IGHD group compared to the MPHD group for tiredness and tenseness domains (p=0.04 and p=0.03, respectively) (Table 1).
Conclusions: HRQoL, as measured by the QoL-AGHDA score and its domains, was impaired in IGHD and MPHD patients and improved with GH replacement therapy. Total QoL-AGHDA score and tiredness were impaired to a greater degree in IGHD compared to MPHD patients at BL and following 12 months of GH replacement. Tiredness and tenseness domain scores improved significantly in both groups, but to a lesser extent in IGHD. These findings suggest that other factors, in addition to GH replacement, contribute to changes in these domains.