What is the Definition of Growth Hormone Deficiency?
Article updated and reviewed by Hubert Chen, MD, Associate Director of Medical Sciences, Amgen Inc. and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine University of California, San Francisco on April 18, 2005. Growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain and plays an important role in the regulation of growth in children and overall metabolism in adults. The effects of GH are mediated almost exclusively by another molecule called IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), which is produced primarily in the liver. Growth hormone (GH) deficiency refers to inadequate levels of GH (and therefore IGF-1), resulting in growth retardation in children and metabolic disturbances in adults.
