Premature atherosclerosis in patients with growth hormone deficiency and diabetes mellitus

In this article cases of two sisters with premature atherosclerosis have been described. The first one aged 31 with diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and diabetes mellitus presented with calf intermittent claudication as a result of tibial arteries occlusions. The second one aged 34 with impaired fasting glycemia and without any sign of GHD presented with sudden calf pain as a result of tibial posterior arterial acute occlusion. These cases support the hypothesis that in GH deficiency patients is a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus and early atherosclerosis and they are more vulnerable to vascular thrombotic events (Tab. 1, Ref. 5).