Last Updated on January 15, 2025 by Caesar
Human growth hormone, also known as somatotropin or growth hormone, is a hormone that regulates growth during childhood and supports metabolism in adulthood. It’s produced by the back lobe of a tiny gland at the bottom of the brain called the pituitary gland. Growth hormone can be natural or synthetic, and a deficiency of HGH can lead to a host of health problems. These problems can worsen if they aren’t treated. This is a reason why doctors prescribe synthetic HGH for their patients.
What Causes HGH Deficiency?
Human growth hormone deficiency can affect both adults and children. In children, the deficiency can result from injury to the pituitary gland or another gland called the hypothalamus, which sits right above the pituitary gland in the brain. This gland produces hormones that control other hormones that help the body regulate temperature, blood pressure, and cardiac rate. Sometimes, doctors can’t determine why a child has human growth hormone deficiency. Children can also be born with HGH deficiency or acquire it after or even during birth. Rarely is human growth hormone deficiency genetic.
Since the symptoms of human growth hormone deficiency can resemble those of other maladies, testing is needed to ensure the child suffers from the deficiency. These tests include X-rays, blood tests, and imaging tests such as CT scans and MRIs.
Like children, adults can suffer from human growth hormone deficiency due to hypothalamus or pituitary gland damage. This damage can be caused when the pituitary gland’s blood supply is interrupted by a tumor or by a procedure to treat the tumor, such as surgery or radiation. Human growth hormone levels can also decrease with age. Human growth hormone deficiency can be detected in an adult through a test that stimulates the pituitary gland. This test is administered by an endocrinologist, a doctor specializing in the maladies of the hormone-secreting glands. It takes about three hours.
Effects of HGH Deficiency
There are many effects of human growth hormone deficiency. A child doesn’t grow normally and retains baby-like features such as a chubby body and round face. Their hair may not grow as it should, and they don’t achieve puberty when they should. Children with human growth hormone deficiency are of normal intelligence.
In adults, human growth hormone deficiency presents an overall decline in physical health. The body holds on to fat, especially fat around the midsection. At the same time, the person suffers from less muscle mass and bone density. This can be seen in the fact that older people with low human growth hormone levels are more subject to bone fractures.
People with human growth hormone deficiency are not as strong and have less physical endurance than people with normal hormone levels. They’re more prone to fatigue, and their cholesterol and triglyceride levels are unbalanced. Because they have higher LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, they are more prone to cardiovascular problems. They also have less tolerance for very hot or cold temperatures.
HGH deficiency also affects people psychologically. They’re more prone to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Unlike children with the condition, adults with human growth hormone deficiency are vulnerable to cognitive impairment. This results in a decline in the quality of their life overall.
How is HGH Deficiency Treated?
Fortunately, growth hormone deficiency can be successfully treated. A child with HGH deficiency is helped by a pediatric endocrinologist, who evaluates the child carefully before they start treatment. The child may need to take synthetic human growth home shots every day until they reach near adult size. Other patients must take the shots only three or six days a week. This treatment lasts for years, though results should start to be seen within three or four months after the first injection.
Zomacton, also called somatropin, is a synthetic growth hormone widely used by child patients and can be administered to adults. Here are a few things to learn about Zomacton:
● The dosage for children depends largely on their body weight.
● Older patients may need to start a lower dosage that gradually increases depending on how they react to it.
● Women of childbearing age or women who are on the birth control pill may need to take a higher dose because of how the drug interacts with estrogen.
● Zomacton price can be high, but several health insurance policies cover at least some of the cost.
As with children, adults with human growth hormone deficiency may need to take daily shots, which they can administer themselves. They’ll need to visit their endocrinologist every one or two months to be evaluated through blood and other tests, including those that check the patient’s bone density and blood cholesterol levels. An adult patient can tell if they’re getting too much of the synthetic hormone if they start to retain fluid or if they have pain in the muscles or joints or develop carpal tunnel syndrome. The doctor can then lower the dose of synthetic hormones.
Synthetic hormones can’t be given to patients who have serious injuries from an accident, who have cancer, or who have had major surgery, especially to their heart or abdomen.
Conclusion
Human growth hormones regulate many bodily functions, and when they are deficient, they can lead to serious health consequences. These range from small stature in children to increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adults. The good news is there is treatment for this disorder that’s beneficial and well-tolerated by most patients.