Research · PMID 37914564
Reviewed by Neal Rouzier, MD, Preventive Medicine · Sep 2026
Meta-analysis of mortality in adults with growth hormone deficiency: Does growth hormone replacement therapy really improve mortality rates?
Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism · December 2023 · Christa C van Bunderen, Daniel S Olsson
What this study found
Growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) is one of the most prevalent deficiencies in patients with hypopituitarism and several cohort studies have demonstrated an increased mortality risk in hypopituitary patients with a presumed GHD. The cause of the excess mortality is most likely multifactorial, including the etiology of the hypopituitarism, non-physiological replacement therapies (mostly glucocorticoid), tumor treatment and its side effects as well as untreated GHD.
How RAGMD uses this study
Clinical questions this paper informs
Synthesis lives on the evidence question — this page shows where the study sits in that analysis.
Primary study
When is growth hormone replacement appropriate in adults?
Growth hormone replacement is evidence-supported for adults with confirmed GH deficiency from pituitary disease, improving body composition and quality of life. Use in healthy aging or performance enhancement lacks safety and efficacy evidence.
Open evidence analysisSupporting literature
Does vitamin D supplementation reduce mortality or major disease?
Meta-analyses show vitamin D supplementation does not significantly reduce all-cause mortality in unselected populations. Targeted repletion may benefit those with documented deficiency.
Open evidence analysisSupporting literature
Does magnesium supplementation improve metabolic health markers?
Trials in deficient or at-risk individuals show modest improvements in some glycemic and blood pressure markers, but routine supplementation for metabolic disease prevention is not strongly supported in general populations.
Open evidence analysisSupporting literature
Does DHEA supplementation improve health outcomes in aging adults?
DHEA raises circulating androgens and estrogens modestly but lacks robust outcome trial evidence for cardiovascular, cognitive, or mortality benefit in healthy aging adults without documented deficiency.
Open evidence analysis