How to Treat GHD

Growth Hormone Deficiency, GHD, is a condition in which the body does not create sufficient growth hormone for the normal human growth process. The deficiency is typically present at birth, but may begin in early childhood. In rare cases, it is acquired in adulthood. Treatment consists of growth hormone injections administered on a set schedule, and it is generally given over the course of a few years.

Instructions

• 1

  Visit a specialist who can make a formal diagnosis of GHD before proceeding with treatment, since the series of injections is an invasive and expensive process. These injections are not intended to treat mere short stature. Growth hormone therapy is approved for non-GHD children who are well under average height -- only when they are among the shortest 1.2 percent of children.

• 2

  Discuss the treatment plan with the prescribing physician and with the patient. In most cases, the person receiving growth hormone therapy is a child, and special consideration should be given to their emotional well-being during the treatment process. According to the Human Growth Foundation, children receive injections from several days per week up to once a day until the child achieves an acceptable adult height or maximum growth potential is reached. Adults will typically require daily hormone treatment for a longer period of time, although improvement of symptoms can be evident after just one injection.

• 3

  Know what to expect when it comes to treatment success and efficacy. The patient and/or guardian should be clear on realistic short-term and long-term expectations; just as normal growth does not happen overnight, it takes a few months for increased growth rate to be visible after starting the hormone therapy. The ability to reach normal height is also related to how early the treatment is started in growth-deficient children, and growth hormone injections are not effective in all patients with GHD.

• 4

  Follow up with the prescribing physician on a regular basis. The Hormone Foundation says, "Follow-up is important to assure compliance with daily injections, to detect and manage possible side effects, monitor growth process, and to adjust dosage periodically."