Riluzole treatment does not affect growth hormone (GH) secretion in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Lisa Linda Morselli; Paolo Bongioanni; Maura Genovesi; Rosaria Licitra; Bruno Rossi; Luigi Murri; Maurizio Gasperi; Enio Martino

P571

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Endocrine Abstracts (2007) 14 P571

ECE2007 Poster Presentations (1) (659 abstracts)

Riluzole treatment does not affect growth hormone (GH) secretion in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Lisa Linda Morselli ¹ , Paolo Bongioanni ² , Maura Genovesi ¹ , Rosaria Licitra ² , Bruno Rossi ² , Luigi Murri ² , Maurizio Gasperi ¹ & Enio Martino ¹

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¹Department of Endocrinology, Pisa, Italy; ²Department of Neurosciences, Pisa, Italy.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common motor neurone disorder in human adults, presents is characterized by selective and progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurones in central nervous system. GH secretion, evaluated by GHRH+arginine test, has been recently reported to be impaired in about 70% of untreated ALS patients. The currently available drug for ALS treatment is riluzole, a compound acting through inhibition of glutamate relase, post-synaptic receptor activation and voltage sensitive channel inhibition.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether riluzole administration can interfere with GH secretion and the diagnosis of adult GH deficiency. Ten patients (6 M, 4 F, mean age 59±11 years) were studied. GHRH+arginine test was performed before and 1–3 months after starting riluzole treatment (100 mg/die). Blood samples for GH were collected at baseline and 30 and 60 minutes. Two patients showed severe (peak GH <9 ng/ml), 5 patients mild (9<peak GH<16 ng/ml) GH deficiency and 2 patients had a normal GH response (peak GH >16 ng/ml). Mean peak GH levels were similar before and during riluzole treatment (13.4±10 vs 14.2±10.1 ng/ml; P=NS). No significant correlation was observed between peak GH concentrations and age, BMI, disease duration, severity or clinical form. In conclusion, the present data confirm, in a new series of ALS patients, that GH secretion is impaired in these patients and indicate that riluzole treatment does not interfere with GH secretion. Therefore adult GH deficiency can also be diagnosed during riluzole therapy.