What Is Growth Hormone Deficiency?
Growth hormone deficiency occurs when a child's body does not produce enough of a hormone called somatropin, also known as a growth hormone. Somatropin stimulates growth and cell reproduction. When the body does not produce enough somatropin, its growth slows down.
Growth hormone is released by the pituitary gland, which controls many important hormones. It sits at the base of the brain, right under the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus tells the pituitary gland when to release its hormones, including somatropin, and in what amounts.
When the body does not produce enough growth hormone, a child’s growth will be reduced. Often, this is the first symptom of growth hormone deficiency that parents notice.
Many factors influence the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland in a child. These may include:
- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Exercise
- High levels of physical and mental stress
- Types of prescription medications taken
- Amounts of other hormones produced in the body
- Amount of blood sugar released after eating
- Elevated levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)
What Causes Growth Hormone Deficiency?
There are many possible causes of growth hormone deficiency. They fall into two broad categories: congenital and acquired.
- Congenital: Present at birth. A congenital disorder may be the result of a genetic or chromosomal abnormality, or a problem during pregnancy
- Acquired: Refers to a condition that is not present at birth, and may result from illness or accident
What are the Signs of a Growth Hormone Deficiency?
From around the age of 2 and through puberty, children should grow, on average, 2 inches per year and gain roughly 6 pounds per year. Some children may not meet these average milestones, and that does not mean there is a growth hormone deficiency. However, in some cases it does.
If you're concerned about a child's slow growth, here are a few signs to look out for:
- Less than 2 inches of growth per year
- Some children don't appear to age along with their peers and have an immature face
- Low blood sugar as an infant
What Is Saizen®?
Saizen® [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] is a human growth hormone produced by recombinant DNA technology. It is a type of treatment called growth hormone replacement therapy.
Saizen® is approved to treat both children and adults:
- Pediatric: Saizen® was approved in the United States in 1996 to treat children with growth failure due to inadequate secretion of endogenous growth hormone
- Adult: In 2004, the FDA approved Saizen® for the replacement of endogenous growth hormone in adults with growth hormone deficiency who meet either of the following two criteria:
- Adult Onset: Patients who have growth hormone deficiency, either alone or associated with multiple hormone deficiencies (hypopituitarism), as a result of pituitary disease, hypothalamic disease, surgery, radiation therapy, or trauma; or
- Childhood Onset: Patients who were growth hormone deficient during childhood as a result of congenital, genetic, acquired, or idiopathic causes
Saizen® Delivery Devices
Two pioneering devices were developed by EMD Serono to help meet the needs of patients.
- easypod® is the first and only electronic delivery device for use with Saizen® in the growth hormone therapeutic area
- easypod® was designed with direct input from patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals to answer the need for a device that provides simple, everyday use and to help healthcare professionals make more informed treatment decisions for their patients
- Cool.click®2, exclusively for use with Saizen®, is the next generation in needle-free growth hormone delivery
Saizen® is available as:
- click.easy® cartridge for use with easypod®
- Multidose vials for use with standard syringes and needles and the cool.click®2 needle-free GH delivery device in: