With all of the potential diseases that have been identified by scientists, it makes sense that parents may be skeptical about the way their children grow. A couple that has a child that is shorter than expected may turn to drugs like human growth hormone in order to make sure their children grow properly. This was not a problem in the past since we were not aware of the endless genetic diseases that are in the world. But HGH has become a hot commodity among parents and the effects are not always the best. Dr. Adda Grimberg, a pediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, had this to say on the matter “Now, more and more, they’re focused on height. They want growth hormone, looking for a specific height. But this is not like Amazon; you can’t just place an order and make a child the height you want.”
Some of the problems facing the repetitive injections of HGH include many visits with the pediatrician, A lot of bloodwork and X-rays, headaches, and hip problems. Another issue with this system is that it could make a child feel like there is something wrong with them. Some people are just short in stature, there is no underlying health problem. The parents may just want their child to appear more physically fit. HGH can cause many problems, as it is, but there are increased chances of problems in youth since they are still going through puberty.
Weighing the Use of Growth Hormones for Children - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Long-term outcome of growth hormone therapy in children and adolescents - PubMed (nih.gov)
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