Pituitary dwarfism, treatment

Pituitary dwarfism -treatment using hGH [HORMONES - HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE] (Vol 13)... 

Human growth hormone, used as a human pharmaceutical, is approved for only one indication in the United States, treatment of growth failure owing to hGH deficiency, a condition known as pituitary dwarfism. However, clinical trials are under way to test its efficacy in Turner s syndrome, bums, wound healing, cachexia, osteoporosis, constitutional growth delay, aging, malnutrition, and obesity. 

Pituitary Dwarfism. Pituitary dwarfism is a condition characterized by an inabiHty to produce or secrete normal levels of endogenous hGH. The condition results in reduced heights of individuals afflicted with the condition and has been treated by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection of hGH. Pituitary hGH was used prior to the approval of biosynthetic hGH. If treatment is initiated early enough, the patient can attain a final adult height weU within the normal range. 

Human somatotropin 191 amino acids E. coll Pituitary dwarfism Approved for sale If useful in treatment of osteoporosis then market size will be much larger Has additional methionine residue at N-terminus, but technology for removing this now available... 

GH has a potentially wide range of therapeutic uses (Table 11.6). To date, however, its major application has been for the treatment of short stature. hGH extracted from human pituitary glands was first used to treat pituitary dwarfism (i.e. caused by suboptimal pituitary GH secretion) in 1958. It has subsequently proven effective in the treatment of short stature caused by a variety of other conditions, including ... 

A substance isolated from human pituitary (e.g. Asellacrin ) is available for the treatment of pituitary dwarfism in which there is a confirmed STH deficiency. 

Bierich JR (1986). Treatment of pituitary dwarfism with biosynthetic growth hormone. Acta Paediatrica Scandinavica (Suppl), 325 13-18. 

Holmstrom, B. and Fholenhag, K. (1975) Characterisation of human growth hormone preparations used for the treatment of pituitary dwarfism a comparison of concurrently used batches. J. din. Endocr., 40, 856. 

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