{"title":"An overview of the controversies of adult growth hormone deficiency diagnosis.","authors":"Daniela Cuboni, Luigi Simone Aversa, Silvia Grottoli, Ezio Ghigo, Valentina Gasco","doi":"10.1080/17446651.2025.2480699","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Growth hormone (GH) not only drives growth but also has significant metabolic, structural, and quality-of-life impacts. While GH deficiency (GHD) in childhood impairs growth, in adulthood, it leads to metabolic syndrome and multisystem functional abnormalities, collectively termed adult GHD syndrome. Despite being recognized for decades, adult GHD syndrome continues to pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>The aim of this review is to analyze the main controversies that persist in diagnosing adult GHD more than 30 years after the initial studies demonstrating the existence of GHD syndrome in adulthood.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>The only reliable method for diagnosing adult GHD is demonstrating the failure of GH levels to rise above a specific threshold following pharmacological stimulation tests. Various tests are available, and the choice of the most appropriate one depends on the clinical context, the presence of potential contraindications, and the availability of specific pharmacological agents. It is also important to note that the reproducibility of some stimulation tests for diagnosing adult GHD has been questioned. The GH cutoff values considered diagnostic for GHD differ depending on the test used, are significantly influenced by the individual's body composition and age as well as by assay method employed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12107,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Endocrinology & Metabolism","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Expert Review of Endocrinology & Metabolism","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17446651.2025.2480699","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Growth hormone (GH) not only drives growth but also has significant metabolic, structural, and quality-of-life impacts. While GH deficiency (GHD) in childhood impairs growth, in adulthood, it leads to metabolic syndrome and multisystem functional abnormalities, collectively termed adult GHD syndrome. Despite being recognized for decades, adult GHD syndrome continues to pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.
Areas covered: The aim of this review is to analyze the main controversies that persist in diagnosing adult GHD more than 30 years after the initial studies demonstrating the existence of GHD syndrome in adulthood.
Expert opinion: The only reliable method for diagnosing adult GHD is demonstrating the failure of GH levels to rise above a specific threshold following pharmacological stimulation tests. Various tests are available, and the choice of the most appropriate one depends on the clinical context, the presence of potential contraindications, and the availability of specific pharmacological agents. It is also important to note that the reproducibility of some stimulation tests for diagnosing adult GHD has been questioned. The GH cutoff values considered diagnostic for GHD differ depending on the test used, are significantly influenced by the individual's body composition and age as well as by assay method employed.
期刊介绍：
Implicated in a plethora of regulatory dysfunctions involving growth and development, metabolism, electrolyte balances and reproduction, endocrine disruption is one of the highest priority research topics in the world. As a result, we are now in a position to better detect, characterize and overcome the damage mediated by adverse interaction with the endocrine system. Expert Review of Endocrinology and Metabolism (ISSN 1744-6651), provides extensive coverage of state-of-the-art research and clinical advancements in the field of endocrine control and metabolism, with a focus on screening, prevention, diagnostics, existing and novel therapeutics, as well as related molecular genetics, pathophysiology and epidemiology.
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