Growth Hormone

Growth hormone is a protein that is produced by the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is part of the endocrine system. (Read about "The Endocrine System")

Several conditions can affect the production of growth hormone (GH). For example, pituitary tumors can lead to either too much GH or not enough:

• A pituitary tumor that limits the secretion of growth hormone (GH) can stunt a child's growth and cause low blood sugar, which can induce fainting, dizziness, anxiety and intense hunger.
• Growth hormone secreting tumors in growing children can boost growth excessively so that, if not treated, the children can grow unusually tall.

The amount of growth hormone can also be affected by congenital issues, diseases and abnormal pituitary function.

Too much growth hormone leads to a syndrome called acromegaly, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). In this condition, excess GH can cause enlargement of the feet, hands, lips, nose and jaw. It also can foster excess perspiration (Read about "Sweating") and fatigue, a widening of the spaces between the teeth, furrows in the forehead and weakness in the hands.

When growth hormone is lacking or produced in inadequate amounts, a growth hormone deficiency exists. Stature will be much smaller than is normal. If other pituitary hormones are lacking, the condition is called hypopituitarism. When all the pituitary hormones are missing, it is called panhypopituitarism. According to the Growth Hormone Foundation (GHF), 10,000 to 15,000 children in the United States have growth failure due to growth hormone deficiency.

It's important for parents to realize that simply because a child is smaller or taller than their peers, they do not necessarily have a growth hormone problem.

If a problem with growth hormone is suspected, blood and urine tests can help determine if there is a problem and what may be causing it. Imaging tests such as x-rays, CT scans and MRI can be done to rule out tumors. (Read about "X-rays" "CT Scan - Computerized Tomography" "MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging")

Treatment for pituitary tumors varies according to the type and size of the tumor. If the problem is too much hormone, there are also medications that can reduce the amount of growth hormone produced.

If the problem is too little hormone, GHF says that through the use of injections of synthetic growth hormone over a period of several years, physicians can help children who are deficient in HGH to achieve average height.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) says that there have been cases of people treated with growth hormone who developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare, degenerative brain disorder. (Read about "Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease") NIDDK says the evidence so far shows that this was a risk only in people being treated prior to 1977. Growth hormone used today is synthetic, according to NIDDK, so this threat is no longer considered a problem.