Adverse Effects of Human Growth Hormone

Adverse Effects of Human Growth Hormone
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Human growth hormone refers to a chemical substance produced by the pituitary gland. It is responsible for natural growth processes within the body and also for maintaining certain metabolic functions. When used as a medicinal supplement to treat severe or minor ailments, Human growth hormone causes a number of adverse effects; it is prudent to know prior to experiencing them.

Joint or Muscle Pain

According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the adverse effects of taking human growth hormone is joint or muscle pain. These can be growing pains or simply persistent aches and pains that do not seem to be tied to any other presenting condition.

Insulin Processing Difficulties

Human growth hormone has been shown in studies to interfere with the body's ability to appropriately process insulin, according to Drugs.com. Patients who currently have either sugar diabetes or retinal diabetes will need to have changes made to their regular insulin dosages to account for the effects of the drug. Individuals who have a family history of diabetes but do not yet have full-fledged diabetes themselves should expect insulin processing difficulties using human growth hormone.

Advancement of Cancerous Tumors

Human growth hormone is designed to make things grow, even if those are things that patients may be actively trying to halt growth or expansion, such as tumors. Acceleration of tumor growth is one of the adverse effects of taking human growth hormone.

Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia is an adverse effect of human growth hormone that appears only in men, according to the Mayo Clinic. The term refers to the enlargement of the breast tissue in otherwise healthy adult males. The effect is mostly reversible after ceasing to use human growth hormone.

Acromegaly

Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder caused by human growth hormone. It leads to enlargement of the hands and feet, according to Acromegaly.org. BBC News reports that those who have overdone supplementation with human growth hormone can experience "spade-like hands," while it can also be result of hormonal changes, especially in middle-aged individuals. This is a progressive disorder.

Cardiomypathy

Cardiomypathy describes a situation where the heart muscle has become inflamed, enlarged or otherwise weakened. According to the American Heart Association and the BBC, this has been linked to human growth hormone. Since the heart muscle is inflamed or enlarged, pumping capacity is diminished, resulting in further coronary and circulatory problems.

References

Article reviewed by Brad Walters Last updated on: Aug 1, 2010

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