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Hypothalamic Growth Hormone/IGF-1 Axis

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Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity

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Abstract

Obese subjects with visceral adiposity might have multiple abnormalities along the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis. The reciprocal relationships between GH secretion and adipose tissue depots can complicate the differential diagnosis between organic GHD and obesity-related decrease in GH secretion in obese individuals. Albeit functional and mainly reversible after weight loss, the low GH status is associated with a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors and a worse body composition compared with obese individuals with a normal GH/IGF-1 axis. The impairment of GH/IGF-1 axis might be the rationale to consider GH as an adjunctive treatment of obesity, at least in the subset of obese individuals with reduced GH secretory capacity and low circulating levels of IGF-1, in relation to their worse cardiometabolic risk profile, with particular regard to those patients who are candidates for bariatric surgery.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to Prof. P. Forestieri (Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II, Naples, Italy), Prof. L. Angrisani (General and Laparoscopic Surgery Unit, San Giovanni Bosco Hospital, Naples, Italy), Prof. L. Docimo (Division of General and Bariatric Surgery, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy), Prof. M. Musella (Department of General Surgery, Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University Federico II, Naples, Italy), and Dr. C. Giardiello (Mininvasive and Metabolic Surgery Unit, University, Pineta Grande Hospital, Castel Volturno (CE), Italy) for their long-lasting enthusiastic cooperation in sharing with us the difficult task to investigate the GH/IGF-1 axis in obese patients eligible for surgery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia – Unità di Endocrinologia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via S. Pansini, 5, Naples, 80131, Italy

    Annamaria Colao & Silvia Savastano

  2. IRCCS SDN Napoli, Via Gianturco, 113, Naples, 80143, Italy

    Carolina Di Somma

Authors
  1. Annamaria Colao
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  2. Silvia Savastano
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  3. Carolina Di Somma
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annamaria Colao .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Andrea Lenzi

  2. Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Unit of Endocrinology, Foro Italico University, Rome, Italy

    Silvia Migliaccio

  3. Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Lorenzo Maria Donini

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Colao, A., Savastano, S., Di Somma, C. (2015). Hypothalamic Growth Hormone/IGF-1 Axis. In: Lenzi, A., Migliaccio, S., Donini, L. (eds) Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09045-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09045-0_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09044-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09045-0

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