Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD): Symptoms & Treatment – Cleveland Clinic

OverviewWhat is growth hormone deficiency (GHD)?

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD, or pituitary dwarfism) is a rare condition in which your pituitary gland doesnt release enough growth hormone (GH, or somatotropin). GHD can affect infants, children and adults. Children with GHD are shorter than expected with normal body proportions.

Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, muscles and other tissues. These signals tell your body what to do and when to do it.

Your pituitary gland is a small, pea-sized endocrine gland located at the base of your brain below your hypothalamus. Its made of two lobes: the anterior (front) lobe and posterior (back) lobe. Your anterior lobe makes GH. It releases eight hormones in total.

People with growth hormone deficiency may have hypopituitarism and have a deficiency in other pituitary hormones, including:

Growth hormone (GH) acts on many parts of the body to promote growth in children. Its essential for normal growth, muscle and bone strength and distribution of body fat.

Once the growth plates in your bones (epiphyses) have fused, GH no longer increases height, but your body still needs GH. After youve finished growing, GH helps to maintain normal body structure and metabolism, including helping to keep your blood glucose (sugar) levels within a healthy range.

If your body doesnt have enough growth hormone whether as an infant, child or adult it can greatly affect your body, albeit in different ways depending on your age. In infants and children, GHD prevents normal growth. In adults, it causes a variety of issues, including increased body fat and elevated blood sugar levels.

There are three main types of growth hormone deficiency (GHD), including:

Growth hormone deficiency is also categorized by the age of onset. It has different symptoms and processes for diagnosis if youre a child or adult when the condition begins.

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a rare condition. About 1 in 4,000 to 10,000 children have GHD, and approximately 1 in every 10,000 people have adult-onset GHD.

The signs and symptoms of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) vary based on what age you are at the onset (start) of the condition.

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in infants and children results in poor growth. The main sign of GHD in children is slow height growth each year after a child's third birthday. This means they grow less than about 1.4 inches in height a year.

Other symptoms of GHD in children and infants include:

Symptoms of adult-onset GHD can be more difficult to detect. Symptoms include:

The causes of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) can vary based on what age you are at the onset (start) of the condition. Some cases of GHD are considered idiopathic, meaning the cause of the condition cant be determined.

Congenital growth hormone deficiency (GHD) results from a genetic mutation and may be associated with brain structure issues or with midline facial abnormalities, such as a cleft palate or single central incisor.

Scientists have identified several genetic mutations that cause GHD, including:

Isolated growth hormone deficiency can have different inheritance patterns depending on the type of the condition.

Cases of acquired growth hormone deficiency (GHD) result from damage to your pituitary gland that affects its ability to produce and release growth hormone. Children and adults can develop acquired GHD.

Pituitary damage can result from the following conditions or situations:

Diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children most often occurs during two age ranges. The first is around 5 years of age when children begin school. This is because parents can more easily see how their childs height compares to the height of their classmates. The second age range is around 10 to 13 years old in children assigned female at birth and 12 to 16 years in children assigned male at birth, which are the age ranges when puberty typically starts. A delay in puberty can signal suspicion of GHD.

Growth increments are the most important criteria in the diagnosis of GHD in children. Normal levels of growth usually follow a pattern, and if growth during a recorded six- to twelve-month period is within those ranges, its unlikely that they have a growth condition.

Adult-onset growth hormone deficiency is often difficult to detect because the symptoms are subtle and commonplace. This makes it more difficult to diagnose.

Healthcare providers use different tests to diagnose growth hormone deficiency (GHD) depending on if youre a child or adult.

Your childs healthcare provider will review their medical history and growth charts to look for signs of impaired growth, risk factors for growth hormone deficiency and other conditions that can affect growth.

Other health conditions that can affect and prevent growth include:

Since growth hormone levels in your blood normally vary greatly throughout the day, a simple blood test cant determine a GH deficiency. Because of this, your childs provider may order the following tests to help diagnose GHD and/or to rule out other conditions that affect growth:

One of the most common tests for diagnosing growth hormone deficiency in adults is the insulin tolerance test. Insulin is a natural hormone your pancreas makes.

During this test, your provider will give you an injection of synthetic insulin to lower your blood sugar level. They will then take blood samples and send them to a lab for testing in order to measure the amount of growth hormone in your blood.

When your body experiences low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), it normally releases growth hormone. If your blood tests reveal lower-than-normal levels of growth hormone than whats expected for an insulin tolerance test, it confirms growth hormone deficiency.

Other tests may include:

Treatment for growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in both children and adults involves synthetic growth hormone (recombinant human growth hormone) injections (shots) given at home. People with GHD most often need a daily shot.

Synthetic growth hormone treatment is long-term, often lasting for several years. Its essential to see your healthcare provider regularly to make sure the treatment is working and to see if you need to adjust your dose of medication.

If you or your child have deficiencies in other pituitary hormones, you or they will also need treatment to correct those deficiencies.

Mild to moderate side effects of growth hormone injections for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) are uncommon. They include:

Rare but serious side effects of GHD treatment include:

If youre experiencing any of these symptoms, its important to talk to your healthcare provider. They may need to adjust your medication dose.

Unfortunately, most cases of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) arent preventable. Certain risk factors can increase you or your childs likelihood of developing acquired GHD, including:

If any of these risk factors apply to you or your child, its important to talk to your healthcare provider about the signs and symptoms of GHD to look out for.

For children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), the earlier the condition is treated, the better the chance that a child will grow to near-normal adult height. Many children gain four or more inches during the first year of treatment and three or more inches during the next two years of treatment. The rate of growth then slowly decreases.

People with adult-onset GHD generally have a good prognosis and can lead a healthy life if GHD is treated properly.

Left untreated, growth hormone deficiency in children may lead to short stature (height) and delayed puberty.

Despite proper treatment, people with adult-onset growth hormone deficiency have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Healthy living, such as eating a balanced diet and participating in routine exercise, can help reduce this risk.

People with adult-onset GHD also have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. Because of this, they have a higher risk of developing bone fractures from minor injuries or falls. To decrease these risks, its important to have a diet thats rich in calcium and to take vitamin D supplements, as recommended by your healthcare provider.

There are many reasons for slow growth and below-average height in children. At times, slow growth is normal and temporary, such as right before puberty starts. If youre concerned about your childs rate of growth, see a pediatric endocrinologist (childrens hormone specialist) or healthcare provider. They can help find out if your childs rate of growth is cause for concern.

If youre an adult and are experiencing symptoms of growth hormone deficiency (GHD), talk to your healthcare provider.

If you or your child have been diagnosed with GHD, youll need to see your healthcare provider regularly to make sure your treatment is working properly.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

If youre noticing a lack of growth in your child, its important to talk to their healthcare provider as soon as possible. While it may be unlikely that growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is the cause, any concerning changes are worth evaluating. People with GHD who are diagnosed early have the best outlook and usually lead healthy lives. If you have any questions about what to expect with your childs growth, dont be afraid to reach out to their provider. Theyre there to help.

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Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD): Symptoms & Treatment - Cleveland Clinic