Growth hormone in adults

Jorgensen, J. and Christiansen, J. (eds). 2005. Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults. S. Karger AG. Juul, A. 2000. Growth Hormone in Adults. Cambridge University Press. 

Juul, A. (2000). Growth Hormone in Adults. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 

The use of growth hormone in adults over the age of 60 years without growth hormone deficiency has been reviewed (109). The adverse effects were the same as those found in adults deficient in growth hormone peripheral edema, paresthesia, carpal tunnel syndrome, glucose intolerance, and gynecomastia in men. The adverse effects were dose-related. There were no long-term data available about safety, in particular the risk of cancer. 

B15. Bonadonna, G., Sonenberg, M., and Merlino, M. J., Total urinary hydroxyproline excretion in diabetics before and after hjrpophysectomy and after growth hormone in adult hypopituitarism. Metab., Clin. Exptl. 14, 832-835 (1965). 

Pampori, N.A. and B.H. Shapiro (1994). Overexpression of CYP2C11, the major male-specific form of hepatic cytochrome P450, in the presence of nominal pulses of circulating growth hormone in adult male rats neonatally exposed to low levels of monosodium glutamate. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 271, 1067-1073. 

Waxman, D.J., J.J. Morrissey, J.N. MacLeod, and B.H. Shapiro (1990). Depletion of serum growth hormone in adult female rats by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment without loss of female-specific hepatic enzymes P450 2d (I1C12) and steroid 5 alpha-reductase. Endocrinology 126, 712-720. 

E6. Eden, S., Wiklund, O., Oscarsson, J., Rosen, T., and Bengtsson, B. A., Growth hormone treatment of growth hormone deficient adults results in a marked increase in lipoprotein(a) and HDL-cholesterol concentration. Atheroscler. Thromb. 13, 296-301 (1993). 

FDA approves efficacy results for spine bone mineral density in childhood-onset growth hormone-deficient adults. 

Somatropin is being increasingly prescribed for growth hormone-deficient adults. Men have more adverse effects than women, probably because of a greater IGF-1 response (110). This was also seen in 74 elderly men and 57 elderly women in a controlled trial, and was not influenced by concomitant sex steroid therapy (41). 

Knox JB, Demling RH, Wilmore DW, Sarraf P, Santos AA. Hypercalcemia associated with the use of human growth hormone in an adult surgical intensive care unit. Arch Surg 1995 130(4) 442-5. 

Vierhapper H, Nowotny P> Czech T, Bieglmayer C, Raber W, Waldhausl W. How (not) to diagnose growth hormone deficiency in adults Stimulated serum concentrations of growth hormone in healthy subjects and in patients with pituitary macroadenomas. MetaboHsm 1997 46 680-3. 

Recombinant growth hormone therapy is the main pharmacologic treatment for growth hormone deficiency in both children and adults. 

Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults Patient Care and Monitoring... 

Gharib H, Cook DM, Saenger PH, et al. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists medical guidelines for clinical practice for growth hormone use in adults and children—2003 update. Endocr Pract 2003 9(1) 64-76. 

As to the primary developmental actions of testosterone, growth and differentiation appear to be involved. Testosterone or estradiol stimulates outgrowth of neurites from developing hypothalamic neurons that contain estrogen receptors [14, 15]. This is believed to be one of the principal aspects of testosterone action that increases the number and the size of neurons within specific hypothalamic nuclei in males, compared to females [1, 14, 15]. 5a-DHT may have a similar effect on androgen-sensitive neurons. Differentiation of target neurons also occurs in adult brain tissue, hormones like estradiol can evoke responses that differ between adult male and female rats [1,14,15],... 

Growth hormone, or somatotropin, is a protein that stimulates linear body growth in children and regulates cellular metabolism in both adults and children. Growth hormone stimulates lipolysis, enhances production of free fatty acids, elevates blood glucose, and promotes... 

---