Today is Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Hormone Replacement Therapy > Nutropin®:

Nutropin is produced by Genentech using recombinant DNA technology and has the same amino acid sequence as human growth hormone produced naturally in the human body. Recombinant growth hormone was cloned by Genentech scientists in 1979.

ABOUT ADULT GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY
Growth hormone (hGH or GH) doesn't just contribute to physical growth in children. Adults need GH, too. In adults, GH is essential to the maintenance of healthy body composition and metabolism. When an adults body is unable to produce enough GH, he or she is said to have adult GH deficiency (AGHD).

Some people with adult growth hormone (hGH or GH) deficiency were not GH-deficient as children. These people are said to have adult-onset GH deficiency.

The usual cause of adult-onset GH deficiency is damage to the pituitary gland, which is responsible for secreting GH. This damage is most commonly caused by one or more tumors in and around the pituitary. Such a tumor may compress the gland, or the damage may occur when the tumor is removed. The pituitary gland may also be damaged by infection, blood vessel disease, severe head injury, or radiation treatment for tumors of the head or neck. .

Disease Education:

Growth hormone deficiency, GHD, is a pituitary disorder resulting in short stature and other physical ailments. GHD occurs when the production of growth hormone, secreted by the pituitary gland, is disrupted. Since growth hormone plays a critical role in stimulating body growth and development, and is involved in the production of muscle protein and in the breakdown of fats, a decrease in the hormone affects numerous body processes.

Turner syndrome affects approximately one in 2,500 female, live births. Turner syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that affects females exclusively and is characterized, in part, by short stature and ovarian dysfunction. It is caused by the absence of all or part of one of the X chromosomes.

Chronic renal insufficiency, CRI, affects about 3,000 children in the United States. It manifests through a gradual and progressive loss of the ability of the kidneys to excrete wastes, concentrate urine, and conserve electrolytes. Kidney transplants can help a child start growing normally again, but most children do not make up the growth lost prior to transplantation.

Safety:

Growth hormone should not be initiated to treat patients with acute critical illness due to complications following open heart or abdominal surgery, multiple accidental trauma or to patients having acute respiratory failure.

Growth Hormone should not be used for growth promotion in pediatric patients with closed epiphyses.
Growth Hormone should not be used in patients with active neoplasia. Growth Hormone therapy should be discontinued if evidence of neoplasia develops. Patients with a history of an intracranial lesion should be examined frequently for progression or recurrence of the lesion.

Intracranial hypertension (IH) with papilledema, visual changes, headache, nausea, and/or vomiting has been reported in a small number of patients treated with Growth Hormone. Funduscopic examination of patients is recommended at the initiation and periodically during Growth Hormone therapy. Patients with CRI or Turner's Syndrome may be at increased risk for development of IH.

Growth Hormone may reduce insulin sensitivity, particularly in obese individuals, patients should be observed for evidence of glucose intolerance. For patients with diabetes mellitus, the insulin dose may require adjustment when Growth Hormone therapy is instituted.

Experience with prolonged Growth Hormone treatment in adults is limited.

Adverse events frequently reported in adult patients were edema (41%), arthralgias and other joint disorders (27%). Thirty-five percent of childhood-onset adult Growth Hormone deficient subjects treated with Growth Hormone 0.025 mg/kg/day for 2 years had supraphysiologic levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) at some time during the study, which may carry unknown risks. During therapy, dosage should be decreased if required by the occurrence of side effects or excessive IGF-I levels.

Patients being treated with Growth Hormone (GH) should be informed of the potential benefits and risks associated with Growth Hormone therapy.

For additional product Information visit: www.nutropin.com