Bone Quality Indices Correlate with Growth Hormone Secretory Capacity in Women Affected by Weight Excess: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Obesity can be associated with impaired growth hormone (GH) secretion, with possible negative repercussions on bone health. We aimed to investigate the relationships between GH secretory capacity, evaluated with GHRH + arginine stimulation test, and bone parameters, assessed with a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometer, in a population of adult female patients affected by overweight and obesity. : We assessed 276 women affected by overweight or obesity referred to the High-Specialization Center for the Care of Obesity, Umberto I Polyclinic, between 2014 and 2019 with signs or symptoms of growth hormone deficiency (GHD). : A total of 97 patients were diagnosed with GHD, and 179 patients with normal GH secretion were considered our control group. GHD patients showed a significantly reduced trabecular bone score (TBS) ( = 0.01). Bone quality parameters corrected for body mass index (BMI) had a positive and significant linear correlation with stimulated GH secretory capacity. : In conclusion, bone quality, evaluated by TBS and hip structural analysis, correlates with GH-stimulated secretory capacity. GHD may act as an additive factor in the alteration of bone microarchitecture in patients affected by obesity, who are already at a higher risk of fractures.