Impact of Pituitary Autoimmunity and Genetic Disorders on Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children and Adults

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 21; no. 4; p. 1392
• Main Authors: Bellastella, Giuseppe, Maiorino, Maria Ida, Longo, Miriam, Cirillo, Paolo, Scappaticcio, Lorenzo, Vietri, Maria Teresa, Bellastella, Antonio, Esposito, Katherine, De Bellis, Annamaria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 19.02.2020; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; anti-pituitary antibodies; autoimmune ghd; Autoimmunity - genetics; Autoimmunity - physiology; Child; Genetic Diseases, Inborn - immunology; genetic ghd; gh insensitivity; Growth Hormone - deficiency; Growth Hormone - metabolism; Humans; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - metabolism; Longevity - genetics; Longevity - immunology; lymphocytic hypophysitis; Neoplasms - genetics; Neoplasms - immunology; Pituitary Diseases - immunology; Pituitary Gland - immunology; Pituitary Gland - metabolism; Review; Signal Transduction - genetics; Signal Transduction - immunology; GH insensitivity; anti-pituitary antibodies; genetic GHD; lymphocytic hypophysitis; autoimmune GHD
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041392

Growth hormone (GH), mostly through its peripheral mediator, the insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1), in addition to carrying out its fundamental action to promote linear bone growth, plays an important role throughout life in the regulation of intermediate metabolism, trophism and function of various organs, especially the cardiovascular, muscular and skeletal systems. Therefore, if a prepubertal GH secretory deficiency (GHD) is responsible for short stature, then a deficiency in adulthood identifies a nosographic picture classified as adult GHD syndrome, which is characterized by heart, muscle, bone, metabolic and psychic abnormalities. A GHD may occur in patients with pituitary autoimmunity; moreover, GHD may also be one of the features of some genetic syndromes in association with other neurological, somatic and immune alterations. This review will discuss the impact of pituitary autoimmunity on GHD and the occurrence of GHD in the context of some genetic disorders. Moreover, we will discuss some genetic alterations that cause GH and IGF-1 insensitivity and the arguments in favor and against the influence of GH/IGF-1 on longevity and cancer in the light of the papers on these issues that so far appear in the literature.