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About Human Growth Hormone Testing

Growth hormone, which is produced by the pituitary gland in the human body, plays an integral part in the growth process. Not only does it affect the growth rate, but it also affects the metabolism in the body and how food is converted and utilized as energy. The daily levels of growth hormone (GH) produced fluctuates based on stress, diet, exercise and sleep. Human growth hormone testing measures the specific amount of human growth hormone that is present in the blood.

  1. Function

    • Human growth hormone testing is essential in the care and treatment of children who are diagnosed as suffering from an overproduction or underproduction of the human growth hormone in the blood. The test is administered to monitor the production levels of the hormone in the child. Too little could result in dwarfism, causing the child to grow much less than is normal for his age, and too much could cause gigantism, causing the child to grow at a much faster rate for his age.

    Considerations

    • Adults can also suffer from growth hormone abnormalities, such as having too much of the hormone in their blood stream. This is referred to as adenoma, or a non-cancerous tumor of the pituitary gland. It makes itself evident by larger than normal growth of the hands, face, feet and jaw. In this case, human growth hormone testing is also essential, not only to diagnose the existence of a non-cancerous tumor, but also to monitor the progress of a treatment regimen.

    Types

    • There are two main types of human growth hormone testing: GH stimulation tests and GH suppression tests. The GH stimulation test is used for diagnosing hypopituitarism, which is used to determine whether an intravenous insulin solution (arginine) will stimulate the patient's pituitary gland to produce normal levels of GH. The GH suppression test is used for diagnosing hyperpituitarism, and is essential in locating and identifying pituitary tumors.

    Features

    • Both types of GH tests involve drawing a sample of blood after the patient has fasted for at least 10 to 12 hours. For the GH stimulation test, an intravenous insulin solution is administered and then blood samples are drawn at specific intervals. Each sample is then tested for growth hormone levels. For the GH suppression test, the patient drinks a glucose solution before having blood samples drawn and tested at timed intervals.

    Warning

    • Human growth hormone testing should be avoided or substituted with other types of testing by those who suffer from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), are taking St. John's wort, consume estrogens, amphetamines, insulin or corticosteroids. It should also be avoided or substituted for those who are significantly obese.

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