In addition to its role in promoting height growth in adolescents, growth hormone also has an important impact on the metabolism of substances in adults. Today, the mention of adult growth hormone deficiency is new even to many doctors in the endocrinology departments of major hospitals. Therefore, it is not surprising that the general public is unfamiliar with this medical term! Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency, the Thief that Steals Your Health and Vitality Mr. Wang, 35 years old, was diagnosed with a non-functional pituitary macroadenoma after a cranial MRI 3 years ago due to headache, vision loss, and double vision, and then underwent a craniotomy to remove the pituitary tumor. After the operation, although the original headache disappeared and vision was restored, new problems appeared: easy to catch a cold, fear of cold, memory loss, loss of libido, thirst, excessive drinking and urination, weakness, and mental weakness, which were diagnosed as “total hypopituitarism” after consultation by the local internal medicine department, and supplemented with adrenal glucocorticoids, thyroid hormones, androgens and antidiuretic hormones. After supplementation with adrenal glucocorticoids, thyroid hormones, androgens and antidiuretic hormones, most of the above symptoms miraculously disappeared. Multiple tests showed that many hormone levels were essentially normal. Although the doctor said that all the deficient hormones had been replaced and he should be able to live like a normal person, he still felt some weakness, memory loss and fatigue easily. Although he does not eat much, but his stomach is full of oil and water, full of a general belly. Originally, people in middle age, should be strong, but he just feel mentally weak, sleepy all day, feel like they really are “old” all of a sudden. With a face of distress and sorrow, he came to the endocrinology department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital to see what was going on. After a thorough examination, when the doctors told him that the above symptoms might be related to growth hormone deficiency, Mr. Wang’s eyes widened with surprise: “Isn’t growth hormone used to grow? I don’t need to grow, so do I need growth hormone?” At his follow-up appointment one month after the nightly subcutaneous injection of 0.6 IU of growth hormone, Mr. Wang’s condition changed in an unexpected way. It was as if he had become a different person. He had changed from a sluggish “scarecrow” to a “strong boy” with renewed energy. The facts show that it was the growth hormone that gave Mr. Wang his health and vitality back! Why does growth hormone have such a magical power? To answer this question, we have to start with the physiological role of growth hormone. Growth hormone is not just about growth. Medical research has found that in addition to promoting height growth in adolescents, growth hormone also has an important impact on the metabolism of adults. Patients with post-pituitary adenoma, hypopituitarism or other causes of growth hormone deficiency often show obesity, abdominal fat accumulation, muscle loss, fatigue, memory loss, osteoporosis and depression in adulthood. With the right amount of growth hormone treatment, these symptoms can be corrected, such as reducing abdominal fat accumulation, increasing body muscle mass, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Moreover, long-term use of the drug can also improve self-perception and mood, thus improving the overall physical and mental health of the patient. Growth hormone is a protein hormone synthesized and secreted by the endocrine “command” of the human body —- pituitary gland. As the name implies, it is a hormone that promotes height growth in children. Under normal circumstances, the body does not secrete growth hormone like a quiet stream, but like the waves of the sea, in a pulse-like secretion. Before puberty, the body only secretly secretes 1-2 pulses per day during sleep; during puberty, the number of pulses increases to more than 20 per day, and the amplitude of pulses increases, thus, the phenomenon of “jumping” in growth is significantly accelerated during puberty. Generally speaking, growth hormone does not work directly, it depends on “instructing” the liver to produce something called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which is the real “contributor” that directly acts on the growth plate cells of bones and promotes height growth. The latter is the real “contributor” to height growth by acting directly on the growth plate cells of the bones. As many people know, growth hormone can promote height increase in children, and some short patients with growth hormone deficiency can be treated with recombinant human growth hormone supplementation to increase their height by 5-10 cm per year before epiphysis closure, often resulting in better adult height. In normal adults, the number of growth hormone pulses secreted per day gradually decreases with increasing age. After reaching the age of 40-50, most adults have only 1-5 pulses per day. Despite this decrease in number, maintaining a certain amount of growth hormone is indispensable for maintaining normal substance metabolism. Since the number of growth hormone pulses physiologically decreases with age, some scholars suspect that reduced growth hormone secretion is one of the important causes of human aging. As a result, there have been reports of the use of recombinant human growth hormone for anti-aging in foreign countries. There is no doubt that in practice, some adults, especially those who have undergone pituitary surgery, head trauma, infection or a history of brain radiation therapy, are more likely to develop growth hormone deficiency. Growth hormone deficiency in adults often presents with symptoms such as weakness, fatness, abdominal fat accumulation, memory loss, and depression. Due to the insidious and non-specific nature of its clinical manifestations, it is often difficult to immediately associate adult growth hormone deficiency as the real culprit behind it. Currently, most adult patients with hypopituitarism in China receive timely and effective supplementation of various pituitary function-related hormones, such as thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, sex hormones and antidiuretic hormones, but growth hormone supplementation is often neglected. Growth hormone for a lifetime of health and slimness In a patient who has suffered from dwarfism, pituitary or hypothalamic surgery or a history of radiation therapy, the possibility of growth hormone deficiency should be suspected if signs and symptoms such as abdominal fat accumulation, general weakness, memory loss and depression appear in middle and old age. The level of IGF-1 secreted by the liver, which more consistently reflects the level of human growth hormone, can be used as a screening test for clinical diagnosis. The final confirmation of the diagnosis relies on more complex tests. Once the diagnosis is clear, treatment is relatively simple and requires a little growth hormone injected subcutaneously every day. Because growth hormone is a protein hormone secreted during sleep, it needs to be injected subcutaneously each night before bedtime to mimic the physiological rhythm of nighttime secretion in normal humans. It is important to note that the dose of growth hormone required for adults is only 1/8-1/10 of the dose required for children to grow in height. after the administration of the drug, the patient needs to be evaluated for changes in body fat content (especially abdominal fat content), waist circumference, physical strength, mood, etc., and IGF-1 levels are tested. If these indicators improve significantly, the patient may be advised to apply growth hormone supplementation therapy for a long time. In general, long-term, physiological doses of growth hormone replacement therapy are beneficial for improving body composition (the ratio of lean muscle to fat), improving insulin sensitivity, preventing the onset of diabetes, reducing the risk of cardiovascular events, increasing the density and strength of bones, and reducing the incidence of fractures. But on the other hand, growth hormone, as a drug that promotes cell growth and division, has the risk of promoting the growth of potential tumors. This is the reason why many doctors and patients are paying close attention and are taking a wait-and-see approach to this treatment. Unfortunately, there is still no convincing clinical evidence to confirm or deny this! Growth hormone, the source of eternal youth? Since ancient times, youthfulness has been the dream of human beings for generations! Clinical studies have shown that supplementation with physiological doses of growth hormone in adult patients with growth hormone deficiency can improve the overall physical and mental health of patients. There are also studies suggesting that it can promote the synthesis of subcutaneous collagen, increase skin elasticity and reduce wrinkles, so growth hormone supplementation may have the effect of keeping a woman looking youthful and beautiful for a long time. Therefore, growth hormone supplementation therapy may have the effect of keeping a woman’s youthful appearance for a long time. For a while, many people regard it as a panacea for “eternal youth”. It is important to note that those clinical studies were conducted on “adults with growth hormone deficiency”, not on normal middle-aged and elderly people. Just as extra gasoline does not improve the mechanical performance of a car with no shortage of gasoline in the tank, extra growth hormone supplementation may not provide the desired benefit to middle-aged and elderly people with normal growth hormone levels. Only those patients who are clearly diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency will receive the expected benefits from treatment. Just like to help machinery run smoothly, the role of lubricants should not be underestimated. It is not necessary to have too much of it, but just the right amount! By the same token, the right amount of growth hormone is one of the most important factors that adults need to keep their bodies active and healthy.