Growth Hormone

Infants, children and adolescents Growth disturbance due to insufficient secretion of growth hormone (GH). Growth disturbance associated with Turner syndrome. Growth disturbance associated with chronic renal insufficiency. Growth disturbance (current height standard-deviation score (SDS) < -2.5 and parental adjusted SDS < -1) in short children / adolescents born small for gestational age (SGA), with a birth weight and / or length below -2 standard deviations (SDs), who failed to show catch-up growth (height velocity (HV) SDS < 0 during the last year) by four years of age or later. Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), for improvement of growth and body composition. The diagnosis of PWS should be confirmed by appropriate genetic testing. Adults Replacement therapy in adults with pronounced growth hormone deficiency. Patients with severe growth hormone deficiency in adulthood are defined as patients with known hypothalamic pituitary pathology and at least one known deficiency of a pituitary hormone not being prolactin. These patients should undergo a single dynamic test in order to diagnose or exclude a growth hormone deficiency. In patients with childhood-onset isolated GH deficiency (no evidence of hypothalamic-pituitary disease or cranial irradiation), two dynamic tests should be recommended, except for those having low insulin-like-growth-factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations (SDS < -2) who may be considered for one test. The cut-off point of the dynamic test should be strict.