Age Doesn't Matter For Human Growth Hormone Diseases

Human growth hormone (HGH) functions all throughout a man's life. The anterior part of the pituitary gland, which produces HGH, continuously secretes HGH even as people grow older. However, the amount of HGH secretion decreases as people exceeds the puberty years. Adults are prone to many diseases because their immune system weakens thus affecting the whole body system. Adults, like children, are also susceptible to HGH diseases.

HGH diseases are mainly of two kinds; deficiency of HGH and excessive HGH. HGH diseases in adults have two general categories;

1.) An adult who had an HGH disease as a child and continues to have the disease

2.)An adult who have gotten the HGH disease after youth

One of the HGH diseases that an adult has is Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency (AGHD). This disease is a disorder which is brought by many factors including the malfunction of the pituitary gland. AGHD has many symptoms namely; abnormal body composition, increased fat mass, decreased lean muscle mass, and decrease in physical power and endurance. AGHD can also bring negative effects to the heart. AGHD, when not treated, leads to morbidity and frequent cardiovascular attacks. In the last 15 years, it has been recognized that growth hormone deficiency (GHD) can happen in adults.

Unlike in cases of children where GHD is easily determined, AGHD is hard to identify because of the lack of growth parameters and effects of other diseases that the patient acquire because of old age. Hence AGHD is determined by conducting a test. The growth hormone stimulation test (GHST) is usually used to determine HGH diseases. GHST measures the ability of the pituitary gland to produce HGH. However, the accuracy of this test was questioned because of test variability and the uniqueness of the physiology of every individual. These factors together with the admittance that IGF-I is significant to HGH makes the analysis of AGHD difficult and diverse.

Comprehensive biochemical testing replaced GHST as method of determining AGHD. This test includes complete blood count, broad metabolic and thyroid panel, and tests in testosterone and estrogen level. This test can reveal other symptoms that may lead to AGHD. It also determines the growth hormone and IGF-I level of a person. When deficiency in IGF-I and growth hormone is determined, further tests follow.

Another type of disease in adults is acromegaly. Acromegaly is the presence of too much HGH in the human body. This disease does not cause an adult to grow taller like children with HGH excess. In place of increased height, adults experience enlarged hands and feet, crude features of the face, heart size increase and may also cause diabetes.

Agromegaly is commonly caused by a benevolent tumor in the pituitary gland which is also the cause of gigantism in children. Gigantism and acromegaly are the same in the sense that these diseases both concern the overproduction of HGH. The difference is that acromegaly occurs after bone growth while gigantism occurs during childhood.

There are treatments available for these diseases in adult. Surgery, medical therapy and radiation are some of the possible treatment for adult human growth hormone diseases. Many supplements are also accessible to cure the deficiency in HGH. However, these supplements are not mainly used for medical purposes but are explored for positive effects on aging. It is said that these supplements do not only cure GHD but give an adult a “young” feeling again.

These supplements present endless possibilities for adults to enjoy the prime of life again. Nonetheless, supplements are to be taken with proper guidance and instructions because they may have fatal side effects.