Hypopituitarism increases the risks of many cardiovascular conditions and therefore, patients with this disease are more prone to
cardiovascular disease. To our knowledge, there have been few studies on
carotid artery plaque in male patients with
hypopituitarism in assessing cardiovascular risks. The aim of this study was to specifically compare
carotid artery plaque while examining other major cardiovascular risk factors between male patients with
hypopituitarism and control subjects. Forty male patients aged 30-70 years with
hypopituitarism and forty age, sex- matched control subjects were recruited at the Yonsei University Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Carotid intima media thickness (IMT) and
atheromatous plaque, anthropometry,
lipid profile, and
pituitary hormones were assessed.
Atheromatous plaque in the carotid arteries was observed more frequently in patients with
hypopituitarism than age- and sex-matched control subjects (59.5% vs. 2.5%, P<0.01) without differences of carotid IMTs. Patients with
hypopituitarism also exhibited higher waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, total
cholesterol and
LDL cholesterol than control subjects. In subgroup analysis in male patients with
hypopituitarism including GH deficiency, lower
testosterone levels were associated with higher waist circumference (r=0.446, P=0.033). In conclusion, hypopituitary males exhibit an increased incidence of
carotid artery plaque without differences of carotid IMTs,
central obesity and higher total
cholesterol level. Lower
testosterone levels were associated with
central obesity- a strong component of a
metabolic syndrome, and unsubstituted
testosterone deficiency might be an important cardiovascular risk factor in patients with
hypopituitarism.