Human Growth Hormone

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Human Growth Hormone, shortly called HGH, naturally occurs in humans but can also be synthesized for medical reasons like treating conditions related to too little HGH in the body.  Growth hormone deficiency will have different effects on people depending on one’s age.

Short stature and growth failure in kids can be one of the most common manifestations of deficiency in growth hormones.  Deficiencies in this hormone can be caused by congenital malformations and other genetic conditions.  It can also be attributed to delayed sexual maturity in some people. Human Growth Hormone deficiency in adults can be rare and can cause pituitary adenoma.  Other causes could be structural lesions or trauma, childhood problem, and rare idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (GHD).

GHD in adults can bring in non-specific problems that might include truncal obesity that could lead to decreased muscle mass and decreased quality of life due to a decreased energy level.  Growth hormone deficiency can be diagnosed through multiple steps.  Diagnosis usually starts with some stimulation tests which aims to check whether one’s pituitary gland will release growth hormone in the presence of different kinds of stimuli.

Growth hormones in human will have what’s called anabolic effects in the body’s tissues.  It acts through its interaction with some specific receptors present in the cells, just like the other protein hormones.  Human Growth Hormone is known to increase height during childhood.  Height increase to be stimulated by the growth hormone causing the chondrocytes of the cartilage to divide and multiply.  It also stimulates the growth of bones through increased activity of the chondrocyte and osteoblast.