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 Human
growth hormone (HGH) has been helping stunted children in the UK to grow
normally since 1959. It is made naturally in the pituitary gland of humans,
deep inside the brain just behind the eyes. It is a microscopic protein
substance that is secreted in short pulses during the first hours of sleep
and after exercise. While made throughout a person’s lifetime, it is more
plentiful during youth. It stimulates growth in children and plays an important
role in adult metabolism. It was first isolated in 1956, and its structure
was identified in 1972. Although once hailed
as a great medical breakthrough, it has since come under increasing fire
by some members of the medical establishment.
Proponents claim that HGH’s advantages far outweigh its drawbacks.
They argue that, without treatment, some stunted
children would remain much shorter than their peers. More than forty years
ago, abnormally short boys were given HGH to help them grow. Without treatment,
these children would only grow to a height of around 130cm by the age of
18. With HGH they could reach a height close to the normal of just over
180cm.
HGH has found a wide range of other uses now that it can be synthesised
in unlimited quantities in the laboratory. It is used, for example, to
reverse muscle wasting in AIDS patients. This has led many athletes to
consider using the hormone as a performance-enhancer, increasing their
muscle size and strength. Because of the importance of the HGH to the body’s
biochemistry, HGH has also been promoted as a fountain
of youth treatment.
HGH’s advocates brush aside claims that its use could lead to Creutzfeld-Jakob
disease. They point out that the danger of contracting it has been non-existent
since 1986, when synthetic production of HGH began. They stress that the
genetically engineered type of growth hormone does not carry a risk of
infection.
Sceptics of HGH are not easily swayed,
however. Their objections focus on key areas of concern. They claim that
HGH has little, if any, effect on the growth of most short children. While
they concede that growth hormone supplements have helped many children
whose bodies – because of either illness or some unexplainable reason –
make very little of the hormone, they state that this is
not always the case. They cite a large French study that showed the growth
hormone has very little effect in small but normal children. These children
make normal amounts of growth hormone but are short because their parents
are short. Giving them extra does nothing.
Even if a regimen of the HGH is successful, the treatment is unpleasant.
It is very demanding and involves daily injections for months and years
– enough to put many children off. In fact, many don’t finish the course,
giving up because they are fed up or have had enough of the side effects,
especially tiredness.
Tiredness is not HGH’s only side effect, however. Dr. Trisha Mcnair states
that studies have shown more disturbing consequences. HGH, for example,
can lead to swelling of the soft tissues in the body; abnormal growth of
the hands, feet and face; and high blood pressure. Furthermore, there is
the tendency to sweat, and some children have excessive hair growth.
Finally, HGH’s opponents assert that being small isn’t bad. They believe
concerned parents need to ask themselves two crucial questions: Has being
short ever really done them any harm? Is what they have achieved
a result of their height? These should help to put concern
about a child’s height into the proper perspective. Arguments rage, but
there is little evidence to show that short individuals are particularly
disadvantaged. As one leading expert recently said, “It is much more important
for a short child to acquire coping skills than to buy [centimeters] through
pharmacological means.”
In summary, the use of HGH has sparked debate in the medical community.
On the one hand, its advocates assert its health benefits outweigh potential
health problems. On the other hand, opponents point to its serious side
effects, dubious outcome when used, and the unimportance of being short.
Adapted from “Ask the Doctor: Growth Hormones”
(28 March 2000), BBC Health, and
“Human growth hormone” (23 June 1998), BBC News Medical
Notes
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