Skeletal health in adult growth hormone deficiency

Excerpt

It has been several decades since the seminal experimental studies of Harris and Heaney suggested that growth hormone (GH) has a relevant role in skeletal health [1]. Early clinical studies primarily explored the role of GH replacement in linear bone growth, using GH of human cadaveric origin [2]. At that time, GH was available in scarce quantities which were rationed for the treatment of GH-deficient children and adolescents. With the availability of recombinant human GH in practically unlimited quantities, it became possible to study the effects of GH replacement in adults in the past 2 decades. Several studies have shed light on the phenotype of GH-deficient adults and the effects of GH replacement, but have provided relatively limited information regarding the vertebral fracture risk in patients receiving GH replacement. …