Androgens and bone density in women with hypopituitarism.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Growth Hormone.

The researchers hypothesized that serum androgen levels and lean body mass are important determinants of bone mineral density (BMD) in women with hypopituitarism.

Sixteen women with a history of pituitary disease of adult-onset and serum GH levels less than 5 ng/ml on stimulation testing underwent BMD and body composition testing by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.

Who Took Part

PubMed indexes the participants as adults and middle-aged adults, women only.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Growth Hormone and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Growth Hormone, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some participants received a placebo instead of Growth Hormone, giving a reference point.

What Was Measured

The researchers hypothesized that serum androgen levels and lean body mass are important determinants of bone mineral density (BMD) in women with hypopituitarism.

Sixteen women with a history of pituitary disease of adult-onset and serum GH levels less than 5 ng/ml on stimulation testing underwent BMD and body composition testing by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Androgens, Bone Density, Growth Hormone, Hypopituitarism and Quality of Life.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Growth Hormone.

The publication is from 2002 (The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism), a journal based in United States.

More context: the related Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) library page, all human trials.