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Human Growth Hormone Treatment for Babies

All children grow at different rates and there is a broad range of what is considered a normal height. However, some children have health conditions that make them significantly smaller than the norm, including babies whose growth rate in the womb is too slow. Doctors may recommend treatments with human growth hormone (HGH) in hopes of helping such children develop normally and reach a more normal adult height.

  1. Origin of Growth Problems

    • While growth hormone deficiencies are more often noticed in toddlers, they can also be found while the child is still developing in the womb. Repeated prenatal testing measures the length of fetal bones on multiple occasions reveals a delay in expected growth. Babies whose growth is less than the tenth percentile are diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and may be candidates for treatment with human growth hormone. Some doctors may also recommend human growth hormone treatment for children who are small for reasons other than IUGR.

    Problems Resulting from Lack of Growth

    • Intrauterine growth restriction produces a deficiency in growth that is more serious than just "being short." Children with IUGR and premature babies face a higher mortality and morbidity rate because their bodies are not developing quickly enough. As an example, they may have more immature lungs compared to their gestational age, sometimes resulting in serious breathing difficulties.

    Advantages of Human Growth Hormone Treatments

    • Human growth hormone is controversial, but many doctors recommend it for children whose lack of development presents health risks. Studies have shown that HGH does work to increase height velocity, or overall growth. Exceptionally short adults have reduced wages on average, so height may have long-term impacts on quality of life.

    Risks and Disadvantages of Growth Hormone Treatment

    • At least one study has suggested that children who received human growth hormone may be at greater risk of developing diabetes and insulin resistance, although results have not been conclusive. While no long-term risks have been proven, no long-term studies have proved the safety of using HGH either. High doses used by adults are linked with muscle weakness and heart disease, and it is unknown if children face these same risks. Treatment with HGH is extremely expensive, as much as $30,000 per year as of 2010.

    Long-Term Outcomes

    • The decision to use human growth hormone to treat exceptionally small babies should be made with the child's doctor. When infant health warrants the use of HGH as a life-saving treatment, the case is clearer. Those whose situations are not emergencies will want to weigh the expense and unknown potential future health risks in making the decision.

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