Your body makes human growth hormone, HGH, to facilitate development and healing. Chemists can synthesize this substance making it readily available to patients. Doctors use HGH to treat a broad range of ailments, according to a June 2010 review in "Endocrine Development." Children with developmental disorders and adults with pituitary tumors often benefit from the long-term use of HGH injections. Such treatments cause side effects in some people. Talk to your doctor before taking growth hormone.
Increases Height
Doctors have used HGH to treat growth hormone deficiency since the 1960s. This remains the most common use of HGH, according to a January 2009 report in "Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews." Children with Turner syndrome often fail to reach an average height. This genetic disorder -- affecting only females -- causes swollen limbs and a webbed neck. Early HGH treatment can correct some of these deformities. A June 2011 report in the "European Journal of Endocrinology" looked at the impact of long-term HGH use in Turner syndrome. Girls under four years of age received HGH injections for several years. Relative to controls, patients given growth hormone showed large increases in height. The girls did not experience adverse events.
Decreases Fat
Children with Prader-Willi syndrome often have growth hormone deficiency as well. Symptoms of this syndrome include sleep disorders and weight problems. Prader-Willi syndrome remains the most common cause of genetic obesity, according to a May 2007 review in "Medsurg Nursing." Growth hormone injections can help Prader-Willi patients manage their weight. A clinical trial offered in the 2010 volume of the "Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism" tested the effect of HGH in Prader-Willi children. The kids received HGH for six years. Treated childre lost body fat relative to age-matched controls. They also achieved a greater height and had greater strength. Growth hormone did not cause side effects.
Enhances IGF
Healthy children can have growth hormone deficiency as well. About 17 percent of kids with short stature have low levels of HGH, according to a 2010 report in "Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism." Growth hormone can help such children, but the mechanism underlying this effect remains unknown. A study presented in the January 2009 edition of the "Chinese Journal of Pediatrics" examined the possible role of insulin-like growth factor, IGF. This hormone -- secreted by the liver -- promotes cell growth and inhibits cell death. In the study, short stature children received HGH injections for a year. Relative to controls, this treatment increased height and enhanced IGF. None of the children reported allergic reactions.
Improves Bone Health
Older adults can also experience the consequences of growth hormone deficiency. Decreases in HGH may underlie osteoporosis, according to a May 2010 article in the "Radiologic Clinics of North America. Long-term use of growth hormone might prevent the degradations in bone mineral density associated with this common disorder. An investigation described in the 2001 volume of the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" tested this hypothesis in older adults. Women and men with growth hormone deficiency received regular HGH injections for five years. This treatment increased bone mineral density within a year. These changes remained present for the duration of the study. About 10 percent of the subjects experienced side effects such as diabetic symptoms.
References
- "Endocrine Development"; Current Indications for Growth Hormone Therapy for Children and Adolescents; E. Richmond and A.D. Rogol; June 2010
- "Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews"; Update From the GHMonitorSM Observational Registry in Children Treated With Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (Saizen); Janet Silverstein, et al.; January 2009
- "European Journal of Endocrinology"; Growth Hormone Treatment Before the Age of 4 Years Prevents Short Stature in Young Girls with Turner Syndrome; Agnes Linglart, et al.; June 2011
- "Medsurg Nursing"; Care of the Patient With Prader-Willi Syndrome; Edilma L. Yearwood, et al.; May 2011
- "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism"; Long-Term Growth Hormone Therapy Changes the Natural History of Body Composition and Motor Function in Children With Prader-Willi Syndrome; Aaron L. Carrel, et al.; 2010
- "Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism"; Low Birth Weight -- Additional Important Factor of Diagnosis in Children With Short Stature; A. Majcher, et al.; 2010
