What is growth hormone?
Growth hormone (often referred to as hGH, or simply GH) is a
protein that, among other things, tells a child's body to grow. It is
produced by the pituitary gland (an organ about the size of a pea,
located at the base of the brain) and released into the bloodstream.
What does growth hormone do?
As its name suggests, growth hormone is the chief hormone
responsible for growth. It stimulates the development of muscles
and bones, and also helps regulate metabolism. Growth hormone
travels to the cartilage and causes it to grow and turn into bone. It
is also involved in the production of muscle protein and in the
breakdown of fats.
In adults, as well as in children, growth hormone is essential to the
maintenance of healthy body composition and metabolism.
Throughout adulthood, growth hormone plays an important role in
maintaining an improved ratio of body fat to lean mass, "bad" to
"good" cholesterol levels, and proper bone mineral density.
What is idiopathic short stature?
Idiopathic short stature—also called non-growth hormone-deficient
short stature—is used to describe short children or adolescents who
are growing poorly, but who have no identifiable abnormality in
their natural levels of growth hormone.
What are the signs of idiopathic short stature?
Idiopathic short stature is usually observed by parents as a child's
failure to grow despite appearing completely healthy and normal
otherwise.
How is idiopathic short stature diagnosed?
Children diagnosed with idiopathic short stature must have
statistically validated growth failure (SDS
<-2.25, or among the
shortest 2.3% for their age and sex), as well as having had other
examinations to exclude other conditions associated with short
stature.
What treatments are available for idiopathic short stature?
Idiopathic short stature is treated by giving injections of growth
hormone until the child reaches his or her adult genetic potential
height or until the growing ends of the bones fuse.
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