Growth hormone for children

Human growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland and it controls cellular reproduction and regeneration and stimulates growth in general. However, this rather complex hormone has not been fully investigated yet and many of its functions are still unknown. Growth hormone is used in medicine for treatment of children's growth disorders, and it can be also administered in adults suffering from growth hormone deficiency. Apart from these indications growth hormone has been used in order to prevent process of aging and obesity.

Human Growth Hormone Injections

These injections were initially created and used in children whose pituitary gland did not synthesize sufficient amount of growth hormone. The problem was in the beginning related to the source of the hormone. Namely, the hormone was obtained from the pituitary gland of human cadavers. Each gland provided only a few drops of the hormone and the injections were rather expensive. Furthermore, there was increased chance of contamination with human pathogens such as those which lead to Creutzfeld-Jacob disease and similar. The research has improved significantly over years and now this hormone can be artificially synthesized, to be more precise it is produced by recombinant DNA technology.

Application of Human Growth Hormone in Children

Human growth hormone is generally administered in children who are suffering from its deficiency. It is also given in children who have chronic renal deficiency, Turner's syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome.

Human growth hormone is administered in children until they reach appropriate height. The effects can be seen within 3 to 4 months. These injections also stimulate appetite and reduce body fat. They are highly effective which has also been proven by numerous studies.

Side effects of Human Growth Hormone Injections

These injections are rather helpful and children who are treated with them can grow normally. Still, there are several side effects of human growth hormone injections and they include fatigue, ear infections, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, problems with vision, headache, skin rash, itchiness of the skin, carpal tunnel syndrome, enlargement of breasts, joint and/ or muscle pain and swelling of hands, feet or lower legs.

The most important precaution which has to be taken into consideration is that this hormone must not even be given to children with normal level of growth hormone since this will lead to serious side effects due to way too high level of the hormone. These side effects include onset of diabetes, abnormal growth of bones and certain organs such as the heart, kidneys or liver. Additional side effects are hardening of the arteries and elevated blood pressure. Prolonged overdosage may even lead to acromegaly.