The safety and effectiveness of human growth hormone using pharmacological dosing
Publication/Presentation Date
12-1995
Abstract
Human growth hormone in currently recommended dosage is effective in many short children, irrespective of their endogenous growth-hormone status. This suggests that present dosing is pharmacological rather than physiological. As for any drug, issues of safety should be of paramount concern. Reassuring short-term data with pharmacological dosing or long-term data with replacement dosing cannot guarantee the ultimate safety of this form of therapy. The risk of future malignancy should be of particular concern. Poorly growing children without classic (severe) growth-hormone deficiency constitute an increasing proportion of children treated with human growth hormone. There are no satisfactory criteria for the diagnosis of neurosecretory growth-hormone dysfunction. The closer to puberty these children are treated, the less likely it is that there will be benefits in terms of increased final height. Recommendations as to a 'safety first' approach to growth-hormone treatment are given. A multicentre controlled trial is urgently needed to establish the benefits of treating children with neurosecretory growth hormone dysfunction.
Volume
45
Issue
6
First Page
523
Last Page
528
Published In/Presented At
Slyper A. (1995). The safety and effectiveness of human growth hormone using pharmacological dosing. Medical hypotheses, 45(6), 523–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-9877(95)90234-1
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Pediatrics
Department(s)
Department of Pediatrics
Document Type
Article