Growth Disorders

The pituitary gland, often referred to as the body's "master gland" due to the many different hormones it produces and the important functions they regulate, is a small oval-shaped organ located at the base of the brain.  One of the hormones produced by the pituitary gland is human growth hormone (hGH or GH), also called somatotropin.  In children, growth hormone is responsible for height, muscle and bone development, and the distribution of body fat; in adults, hGH affects bone health, muscle function, and psychological well-being.  Having too much or too little GH can cause problems in people of all ages.

Acromegaly, for example, is a condition that results from an overproduction of growth hormone, while too little GH can lead to short stature in children and health problems in adults.  Sometimes growth disorders have no clear cause, as in idiopathic short stature. 

Doctors use growth hormone to treat conditions resulting from the pituitary gland's underproduction of somatropin.  hGH abuse, the illegal use of growth hormone to reverse the effects of aging or increase muscle strength, can cause many harmful side effects.

Learn about the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment of disorders resulting from growth hormone imbalances in The Hormone Foundation's fact sheets and guides.

Fact Sheets

Acromegaly

Growth Hormone: Use and Abuse

Idiopathic Short Stature: What You Need to Know

Precocious Puberty

Turner Syndrome

 Patient Guides

Patient Guide to Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults