Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Turner syndrome (TS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by an aberration of the X chromosome, most commonly associated with various comorbidities, such as metabolic disorders, particularly dyslipidemias. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of dyslipidemias associated with TS and to evaluate the impact of growth hormone (GH) treatment on lipid metabolism.

Methods: This is a descriptive and retrospective study of 22 patients diagnosed with Turner syndrome at the Endocrinology-Diabetology and Nutrition Department of the University Hospital of Oujda-Morocco, including 11 patients treated with growth hormone (GH) over a period of 6 years. All patients underwent pre-treatment assessments, including lipid profile during evolution.

Results-Discussion: The mean age of our population was 13.91±6.93 years. Five patients (45.5%) had dyslipidaemia prior to initiation of GH treatment; elevated LDL cholesterol levels was observed in 60% of patients, hypertriglyceridaemia in 20% and mixed dyslipidaemia in 20%. After initiation of GH treatment, the evolution was marked by an improvement in the lipid profile in 60% of cases, while 40% maintained dyslipidaemia for up to one year. In contrast, six patients (55.5%) did not have dyslipidaemia on the initial metabolic test, of whom 66.6% did not develop dyslipidaemia during the GH treatment period, whereas two patients (33.3%) developed dyslipidaemia one year after GH treatment. In our serie, GH treatment significantly confirmed its positive effect on lipid metabolism by reducing serum LDL levels.

Conclusion: GH treatment has a positive effect not only on statural gain but also on the metabolic profile of patients with Turner syndrome, which ties in with the conclusions of the literature on the innocuity of GH treatment of patients with TS.