Increased clinical symptoms of acromegalic arthropathy in patients with long-term disease control: a prospective follow-up study.

Arthropathy is an invalidating complication of acromegaly. This arthropathy deteriorates radiographically despite long-term disease control. However, the clinical course and its relationship to the radiographic course are currently unknown. We aimed to investigate the clinical course of arthropathy during follow-up and its relationship to radiographic progression in long-term controlled acromegaly patients. Prospective follow-up study. We studied 58 patients (mean age 62 years, women 41 %) with controlled acromegaly for a mean of 17.6 years. Clinical progression of joint disease was defined at baseline and after 2.6 years, by the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Index (AUSCAN) questionnaires for lower limb and hand OA, respectively, and performance tests. Potential risk factors for progression were assessed. The clinical course of arthropathy was related to the radiographic course. On average, hand and lower limb function deteriorated during follow-up, despite large interindividual variations. Joint pain was stable over time. High levels of pain and functional impairment at baseline were related to clinical progression of hand pain and functional limitations. High baseline BMI was a risk factor for functional deterioration in the lower limb. The changes in symptoms and radiographic progression during follow-up were not related. In treated acromegaly patients, joint function deteriorates during prolonged follow-up, despite biochemical disease control, although there was interindividual variation. Clinical and radiographic course of arthropathy were not related. Therefore, in clinical practice, a combination of clinical and radiographic assessment is necessary to evaluate the course of acromegalic arthropathy.

Progression of acromegalic arthropathy despite long-term biochemical control: a prospective, radiological study.

OBJECTIVE: Arthropathy is an invalidating complication of acromegaly, of which the prognosis and determinants are currently unknown in treated acromegaly. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the radiographic progression of arthropathy over a mean follow-up period of 2.6 years and determinants of outcome in patients with long-term, well-controlled acromegaly. DESIGN: Prospective follow-up study. METHODS: In a prospective cohort study we studied 58 patients (mean age 62, women 41%) with controlled acromegaly for a mean of 17.6 years. Radiographic progression of joint disease was defined by the Osteoarthritis Research Society International classification as a 1-point increase in joint space narrowing (JSN) or osteophyte scores on radiographs of the hands, knees, and hips obtained at the first study visit and after 2.6 years. Potential risk factors for progression were assessed. RESULTS: Progression of osteophytes and JSN was observed in 72 and 74% of patients respectively. Higher age predisposed for osteophyte progression. Patients with biochemical control by somatostatin (SMS) analogs had more progression of osteophytosis than surgically cured patients (odds ratio=18.9, P=0.025), independent of age, sex, BMI, baseline IGF1 SDS and exon 3 deletion of the GHR. This was also evident for JSN progression, as were higher age and higher baseline IGF1 SDS. CONCLUSIONS: Acromegalic patients have progressive JSN and osteophytosis, despite long-term biochemical control. Parameters reflecting GH/IGF1 activity were associated with progressive joint disease. Remarkably, biochemical control by SMS analogs was associated with more progression than surgical cure. Although the present study is not a randomized controlled trial, this may indicate insufficient GH control according to current criteria and the need for more aggressive therapy.

Relationship between insulin-like growth factor-1 and radiographic disease in patients with primary osteoarthritis: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) and either serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels or IGF-1 gene polymorphisms in patients with primary OA. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of reported associations between circulating IGF-1 and/or IGF-1 gene polymorphisms and radiographic OA. Studies were eligible when: (1) investigating serum IGF-1 and/or IGF-1 gene polymorphisms in relation to prevalent or incident radiographic OA; (2) written in English; (3) full-text article or abstract; (4) patients had primary OA in knee, hip, hand or spine; (5) longitudinal, case-control or cross-sectional design. Quality assessment was done using a standardized criteria set. Best-evidence synthesis was performed based on guidelines on systematic review from the Cochrane Collaboration Back Review Group, using five evidence levels: strong, moderate, limited, conflicting and no evidence. RESULTS: We included 11 studies with more than 3000 primary OA cases. Data on the relationship between serum IGF-1 and radiographic OA were inconsistent. Adjustment for body mass index (BMI) was often omitted. Of four high-quality studies, three studies reported no association, one study found significantly higher IGF-1 levels in OA patients compared to controls. Patients with IGF-1 gene promoter polymorphisms and a genetic variation at the IGF-1R locus had an increased OA prevalence compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Observational data showed no association between serum IGF-1 and occurrence of radiographic OA (moderate level of evidence), and a positive relationship between IGF-1 gene polymorphisms and radiographic OA (moderate level of evidence); however the confounding effect of BMI was insufficiently addressed. Future well-designed prospective studies should further elaborate the role of the complex GH/IGF-1 system in primary OA.