Growth hormone (GH) is an important hormone produced by the pituitary gland that helps regulate growth and metabolism. Low growth hormone, also called growth hormone deficiency, occurs when the pituitary gland does not produce enough GH.
Some key points about low GH:
- Causes: Low GH can be caused by genetic conditions, tumors, radiation treatment, traumatic brain injury, or even no known cause (idiopathic).
- Symptoms: Common symptoms in children include short stature/height, increased body fat, delayed puberty, and slow tooth development. Adults may experience decreased muscle mass, increased body fat (especially abdomen/waist), fatigue, poor concentration, and emotional changes.
- Diagnosis: A doctor diagnoses GH deficiency via medical history, physical exam, lab tests of GH levels, and sometimes stimulation tests or MRI scans.
- Treatment: Treatment involves daily growth hormone injections/shots to replace missing GH. This can help increase growth in children and improve body composition and quality of life in children and adults.
If you or a loved one suffers from possible growth hormone deficiency, the endocrinology experts at Equilibrium Hormone Institute provide state-of-the-art diagnosis and growth hormone treatments to help patients reach their full potential. Visit ]() to schedule a consultation.
To summarize key points:
- Low growth hormone is a deficiency of an important pituitary hormone that regulates growth and metabolism
- It has various causes and presentations depending on age, but commonly includes short stature in kids and increased fat, decreased muscle in adults
- Diagnosing low GH levels via testing allows doctors to provide daily hormone injections to replace the missing hormone and improve health
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