Present and potential uses of growth hormone in therapeutics

Abstract

In the first weeks of 1993, the accepted indications of growth hormone remain limited to the treatment of severe growth failure resulting directly from pituitary somatrotropic deficiency and to the improvement of height in Turner syndrome. Various other indications of GH may be considered as “potential”. Each one has still to prove its real usefulness at more or less long term. Moreover, for all of them there will have to largely take into account the ethical side, mainly the ratio between the expected beneficial effects and the costs and burden, even if no serious inconveniences are presently known. The possible increase in the use of growth hormone is an extremely serious scientific question. It is important to keep it out from the changes in subjective opinions, the medical faschions, and the influences of public opinion or media.