Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) TreatmentUpdate48, Vol. 4, No. 8 - March 1994
Sean Hosein

Researchers in San Francisco have been performing experiments on people with HIV/AIDS using growth hormone to find out if it can prevent unintentional weight loss. On average, the subjects in this study had lost about 20% of their ideal body weight. None of these subjects had diarrhea nor were they using any weight-gain supplements. Subjects were supposed to be on a stable dose and schedule of their medications one month before and during the study. All subjects were kept in a hospital for about 12 days. A group of six non-HIV-infected healthy subjects was used for comparison, as a control. For the first five days subjects were fed the same diet and on the remaining seven days they received growth hormone (GH) injected under the skin in a dose of 0.1 mg/kg of body weight/day.

RESULTS-WEIGHT

The HIV-infected subjects gained an average of 2 kg and the non-HIV-infected subjects 1.6 kg during the period when they received the GH.

RESULTS-NITROGEN

Nitrogen is an element that plants and animals use to make proteins. Some HIV-infected patients lose large amounts of nitrogen in their urine. When this happens it becomes harder for the body to make protein. The loss of nitrogen in the urine of the HIV-infected subjects stopped about a day after their first dose of GH. The doctors also noted that the non-HIV-infected subjects also lost less nitrogen in their urine.

RESULTS-BURNING UP FATS

When the doctors gave the subjects GH, their bodies switched from burning proteins to burning fats for energy. By sparing proteins, the body could now use them for building muscles and other tasks instead of breaking down its store of proteins.

RESULTS-TOXICITY

The doctors did not detect any toxicity caused by GH injections. No subjects increased in height, that is, they did not 'grow' because of GH injections (adult subjects do not 'grow' when treated with GH).

RESULTS-COUNTING TRIGLYCERIDES

When measuring triglycerides (TG) levels in blood samples, patients needed to fast after dinner and not eat breakfast the following morning until after the nurses collected blood. If patients had eaten breakfast before the blood was collected, the triglyceride measurements would have been distorted. On average, the HIV-infected subjects had a 68% increase in their TG levels while on GH.

SUMMARY

In this small study six HIV-infected subjects who received small doses of GH had increased short-term weight gain compared to when they were not given GH. This difference in weight was statistically significant, that is, not likely due to chance alone. According to various lab tests, the weight gain was due to muscle, rather than fatty, tissue. This is important because most appetite stimulants cause a build-up of fat and not muscle. Muscle can be an important source of high-quality protein for the body during times of infection. The GH used in this study was Saizen, made by Serono Laboratories, Inc., Norvell, MA. Contact: Sally Kennedy 1-617-982-9000.

REFERENCES:

1. Mulligan K, Grunfeld C, Hellerstein MK, et al. Anabolic effects of recombinant human growth hormone in patients with wasting associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 1993;77(4):956-962.

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