What Are the Symptoms of Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency?

Adult growth hormone deficiency is a growth hormone deficiency acquired during adulthood or can be a transition of childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency.

Growth hormone deficiency occurs due to reduced growth hormone secretion from the pituitary gland. Damage to the pituitary glands or hypothalamus (that controls the pituitary glands) leads to growth hormone deficiency.

Causes of adult growth hormone deficiency can be divided into three categories, which include:

1. Congenital causes of adult growth hormone deficiency include genetic defects or brain structure defects, such as:
   • Agenesis of the corpus callosum (disorders of the corpus callosum [the structure that connects the two hemispheres of the brain])
   • Septo-optic dysplasia (a disorder of early brain development)
   • Empty Sella syndrome (a condition in which the pituitary gland shrinks or becomes flattened)
   • Encephalocele (sac-like protrusion of the brain)
   • Hydrocephalus (buildup of fluid around and within the brain)
   • Arachnoid cyst (a most common type of brain cyst)
2. Acquired causes of growth hormone deficiency include:
   • Tumor in the pituitary gland or hypothalamus
   • Head injury
   • Stroke
   • Bleeding in the base of the brain
   • Infections to the brain such as meningitis
   • Previous surgery to remove a pituitary tumor
   • Radiation therapy
   • Sarcoidosis (growth of inflammatory cells in different parts of the body)
   • Tuberculosis
   • Histiocytosis (a group of disorders or syndromes that involve an abnormal increase in immune cells called histiocytes)
3. Adult growth hormone deficiency can occur due to unknown reasons (idiopathic).

The most common way to treat adult growth hormone deficiency is to use growth hormone injections.

Growth hormone injections can have various beneficial effects on the symptoms of growth hormone deficiency including:

• Effects on body composition and bone mineral content:
  • Growth hormone therapy, when given for a year, can
    • Decrease body fat with most reduction occurring in the abdomen.
    • Improve lean tissue or muscle mass.
    • Reduce the risk of diabetes.
  • Growth hormone, when given for 18 months, increases the bone mineral density and reduces the risk of fractures.
• Effects on physical performance:
  • Growth hormone therapy has a direct effect on the heart and muscle cells, thus increasing the following:
    • Exercise performance
    • Oxygen consumption
    • Cardiac output
• Effects on lipids:
  • Growth hormone therapy, when combined with a statin, shows a significant reduction in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
• Effects on psychological well-being:
  • Growth hormone therapy, when taken for 6 to 12 months, can improve the following:
    • Muscle strength
    • Energy levels
    • Emotional reactions
    • Thinking and reasoning ability
  • Growth hormone therapy is known to reduce pain associated with fibromyalgia.
• Effect on muscles:
  • Growth hormone therapy improves muscle mass and neuromuscular function.

Growth hormone therapy can cause the following side effects:

• Edema (swelling)
• Discomfort in the joints
• Redness at the injection site
• Headache
• Hip pain
• Scoliosis (sideways curving of the spine)
• Muscle pain

Lowering the dose of growth hormone can alleviate the side effects.

People who are old and obese are more prone to the side effects of growth hormone therapy.

A growth hormone therapy should be injected daily during bedtime and should be avoided in people who:

• Have active cancer or tumor.
• Are seriously ill.
• Have multiple injuries from major accidents.
• Have breathing problems.

People with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar levels while taking growth hormones.