Inquiry
My daughter is 3.9 years old and 95 centimeters tall. Her bone age was measured as 2 years, and the results of the growth hormone stimulation test were 3.3, with the normal value being 10. The MRI of the pituitary gland showed normal results. Do I need to have another stimulation test done at a different hospital? Is this considered growth hormone deficiency? Do I need to inject growth hormone? What are the possible side effects?
Answer
The growth hormone in higher animals is a protein in chemical composition. In plants, the growth hormone is indoleacetic acid, a hormone secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland that promotes body growth. Growth hormone can indirectly promote the formation of epiphyseal cartilage during growth periods by stimulating the liver to produce growth hormone mediators, thereby promoting bone and cartilage growth and increasing stature. Growth hormone also affects intermediary metabolism and energy metabolism, promoting protein synthesis, enhancing the absorption and utilization of important elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur, and by inhibiting glucose consumption, accelerating fat decomposition, it shifts energy sources from glucose metabolism to fat metabolism. In childhood, if there is insufficient secretion of growth hormone, it can lead to delayed growth and development and particularly short stature, known as ‘dwarfism’; if there is excessive secretion of growth hormone, it can cause excessive growth in all parts of the body, with particularly significant bone growth, leading to abnormally tall stature, known as ‘gigantism’. After adulthood, bones