Growth Hormone Testing Usage

Suppression tests are ordered:

• For children who show symptoms of gigantism
• For adults who show signs of acromegaly (abnormally large bone growth)
• To check for abnormalities in the function of the pituitary gland
• If a tumor in the pituitary gland is suspected—This is done with another test called IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) that does not vary so much over time.
• To monitor the effectiveness of GH replacement (commonly done with IGF-1 test)

GH stimulation tests are ordered:

• For children who are significantly short for their age
• When thyroid testing rules out a problem with the thyroid but growth is slower than expected
• To check for abnormalities in the function of the pituitary gland
• For children who have had radiation therapy
• For children whose bones are not developing normally
• For adults with symptoms of muscle weakness, lack of energy, thin skin, weak bones, and other symptoms that when taken together, suggest a lack of GH

Growth Retardation © 2009 Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.