ABSTRACT
Reduced growth hormone (GH) secretion is a common cause of delayed physical development in children. Deficits in GH secretion during development can be attributed to hypophyseal or hypothalamic dysfunctions, the most common cause being insufficient or inadequate presentation of neurosecretory regulatory hormones (1). It is, however, possible that intrinsic pituitary defects can reduce production, secretion, or both, of GH. Despite these different etiologies, growth deficiencies are almost universally treated with recombinant GH, essentially foregoing the alternative treatment: pharmacological enhancement of endogenous GH secretion. Although human GHRH is easily synthesized and readily available for treatment of short stature, variable and unpredictable responses have delayed its use as a therapeutic agent until very recently.
