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Official Journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology

Bone and joint alterations in acromegaly

Abstract

Growth hormone (GH) is fundamental for the maintenance of bone mass and metabolism both during childhood and in adulthood. This effect is due to a complex interaction between circulating GH and IGF-I produced peripherally. In vitro data and experimental animal models have clarified many of the regulatory mechanisms underlying the characteristic skeletal changes occurring in acromegaly. This review focuses on the effects of GH excess on bone metabolism and mass in acromegalic patients and, in particular, on the influence of factors such as hypogonadism, gender, age and therapy on bone metabolism and arthropathy.

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Correspondence to E. Martino.

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Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Morselli, L.L., Manetti, L., Cosci, C. et al. Bone and joint alterations in acromegaly. J Orthopaed Traumatol 7, 169–175 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10195-006-0143-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10195-006-0143-8

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