Impact of Growth Hormone Therapy on Quality of Life in Adults with Turner Syndrome

Abstract

Abstract Context: GH and/or oxandrolone are used to promote growth in Turner syndrome (TS). Objective: The aim of this study was to compare quality of life (QoL) in TS women with controls and determine the impact of growth promoting therapy on QoL in TS women. Design: This was a cross-sectional, case-control study. Setting: The study was conducted at an outpatient clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden. Patients: Patients included 111 TS women (age range 18–59 yr) and 111 randomly selected, age-matched women (25–54 yr) from the World Health Organization Monitoring Trends and Determinants for Cardiovascular Disease project (Göteborg, Sweden) served as controls. Main Outcome Measures: QoL was estimated by the Psychological General Well-Being scale (anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health and vitality) and the Nottingham Health Profile (physical mobility, pain, sleep, energy, social isolation, and emotional reactions). Results: TS women reported more social isolation than controls (P < 0.001). After age adjustment, significantly less pain (<0.05) was reported attributable to GH treatment within TS. No significant difference in any other subscales used could be shown. In TS, QoL was negatively affected by higher current age and age at diagnosis and positively affected by better body balance, fine motor function, and higher bone mineral density. Conclusions: Social isolation was more commonly reported in the whole TS cohort than in the population. Except for less pain, no significant impact on QoL attributable to GH treatment could be found, despite the mean +5.1 cm final height.