Growth Hormone: The Pros and Cons of Use in Therapy (Essay Sample)

Growth Hormone: The Pros and Cons of Use in Therapy Name Institution Growth Hormone: The Pros and Cons of Use in Therapy Advances in studies on growth hormone have borne actual fruits in terms of treatment of delayed growth in children, as well as the exciting prospect of curbing the effects of aging. However, safety concerns accompany such exciting possibilities for the use of the hormone (Bowen, 2006). A detailed exploration of the benefits and consequences that accompany growth hormone therapies is crucial in informing the hormone’s usage. An analysis of reliable literature on HGH indicates that therapy raises attractive prospects for various medical and aesthetic solutions, but there is a need for more research to cover data gaps and manage side effects. What is growth hormone? Human Growth Hormone or Somatotropin is a peptide hormone synthesized and secreted by cells of the anterior pituitary gland. It is an integral participant in physiological processes such as growth and metabolism. Its effect on growth is both direct and indirect through other hormones, both scenarios leading to bone and muscle growth. It also has crucial effects on the metabolism of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates (Bowen, 2006). In terms of therapy, genetic engineering has made possible the production of large amounts of Somatotropin, a legally approved chemical for medical use in the treatment of pathological dwarfism in children. The hormone should be disambiguated from supplements that are actually the amino acid building blocks of the hormone, and whose intake is claimed to boost levels of the actual growth hormone. The hormone has also been proposed as an anti-aging therapy (Pepper, 2008). Benefits of Human Growth Hormone The single most beneficial application of growth hormone therapy is in the treatment of pituitary dwarfism in children- that is short stature caused by a deficiency of growth hormone due to pituitary hypoactivity. Somatotropin replacement provides a largely effective long-term therapy for dwarfism, with a success rate in about 80% of the patients (Pituitary Dwarfism Treatment, 2008). According to Worden (2010), research shows that children with short stature administered with growth hormone grow to about 180cm at adulthood, compared to 130cm in untreated children. Another benefit of growth hormone stems from its importance in the body's biochemistry. It is used to reverse muscle wasting associated with AIDS while most athletes and bodybuilders consider it a performance enhancer through increasing muscle mass and strength, albeit illegally. More importantly, small studies have shown that improvements occur in bone density and body mass alongside boosting body energy. Hence, growth hormone is proposed as an anti-aging treatment although this has little scientific backing (Pepper, 2008). Detrimental effects Growth hormone is associated with a number of detrimental impacts on the body, both natural or upon therapy-induced. One of these is acromegaly, resulting from hyperfunction of the pituitary or excessive intake results in adults. This condition clinically presents with overgrowth of the extremities disproportionate to the body and, thus, corrupting the normal body scales of the Vitruvian man. Other symptoms include swelling of soft tissues, cardiac disease, thickening of the skin and abnormality in jaw structure (Bowen, 2006). Excess growth hormone intake also causes the carpal tunnel condition, a pain felt in the wrist after the small bones in the wrist rub against each other. This is due to gaining of some length by each small bone due to growth stimulated by the hormone (Toussier, 2007). Injection of human growth in an individual without an underlying deficiency of the hormone may cause diabetes (Worden, 2010). The rationale for this occurrence stems from the involvement of growth hormone in the metabolism of sugars. Here, the hormone may indirectly influence the blood sugar levels. Growth hormone acts against insulin by inhibiting the uptake of glucose by cells through insulin stimulation (Bowen, 2006). Growth hormone has also been linked to cancer especially in individuals taking it as an anti-aging therapy. Colon cancer cells grow faster when exposed to IGF-I, a hormone whose production is stimulated by Somatotropin. Denoon (2002) reports that the old form of growth hormone (nongenetically produced) significantly correlates to increase the risk of colon cancer and Hodgkin’s disease. Growth hormone increases the rate of metabolism, hence the blood flow through the kidneys. In case the kidneys are already compromised, they may fail to handle the additional blood flow and deteriorate even further (Gregory, 2009). Overdosing on growth hormone increase water retention in the body, which in turn causes a rise in blood pressure in the individual (Toussier, 2007). Lastly, growth hormone speeds up metabolism, and a child under treatment may burn calories quicker thus decreasing body fat and making the child abnormally muscular (Gregory, 2009). Overall, these experimental and theoretical side effects of growth hormone call for more studies and peer discussions to ensure that the hormone is applied constructively. Conclusion Human Growth Hormone is a peptide hormone with important growth and metabolism functions in the bod...