Background: It is not known whether medical treatment to lower growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels may improve the compromised quality of life of patients with acromegaly.
Methods: We studied the effects on quality of life of the slow-release somatostatin analogue lanreotide, 30 mg i.m., every 14 days for 2 months in 10 patients with active acromegaly (8 females/2 males, mean age 57.3 +/- 11.4). Hormone measurements and psychometric evaluation by means of self-rating scales were carried out in baseline conditions and after 1 and 2 months. The Symptom Questionnaire (SQ), the Cognitive Scale of the Screening List for Psychosocial Problems by Kellner and the Social Situation Questionnaire by Marks were employed.
Results: Together with a significant decrease in GH and IGF-1, treatment with lanreotide significantly improved SQ psychological distress, SQ well-being and Social Situation Questionnaire social fears.
Conclusion: Medical treatment with lanreotide may improve the quality of life of patients with acromegaly. Being an open trial, changes could be due to nonspecific effects. However, they did not fade at 2 months. Improvement involved fears of social situations that have been linked to GH abnormalities.