Challenges in Growth Hormone Therapy [Hardcover]

John Monson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0632051647 | ISBN-13: 978-0632051649 | Edition: 1

The area of growth hormone therapy has been shrouded in controversy for several years. In the US, anxious parents apply pressure on doctors so their little ones can receive this elixir, regardless of whether there is a medical condition to treat. More recently, health care organisations have balked at the very high cost of growth hormone therapy, and with a greater consciousness of evidence-based medicine, there is also growing concerns about its efficacy. There are now fears about the safety of long-term growth hormone administration with possible risks of increased cardiovascular disease and diabetes, although the latter seems to be a temporary phenomenon. At the clinical level there are also uncertainties about proper optimum dosing schedules used for both children and adults, as well as how to manage the transition from childhood to adulthood (when to stop giving the hormone and how to follow up). Challenges in Growth Hormone Therapy tackles these issues and provides a timely and controversial review of these topics for endocrinologists and paediatricians.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an excellent book. It summarizes, in a concise yet reasonably comprehensive manner, the increasing literature on the theraputic use of growth hormone (GH) spawned by the recent availability of virtually unlimited quantities of GH obtained through recombinant DNA technology... the authors and the editor should be congratulated for assembling such a readable and yet comprehensive list".
(Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolis Volume 11)

From the Back Cover

The whole area of growth hormone has been shrouded in controversy for some years. In the US, anxious parents apply pressure for their little ones to receive this elixir, regarless of whether there is a medical condition to treat. More recently, health care organisations have balked at the very high cost of growth hormone therapy while, with a greater consciousness of evidence-based medicine, there is also growing concerns about its efficay. There are now fears about the safety of long-term growth hormone administration with possible risks of increased cardiovascular disease and diabetes, although the latter seems to be a temporary phenomenon. At the clinical level there are also uncertainties about what optimum dosing schedules to use for both children and adults, and how to manage the transition from childhood to adult (when to stop giving hormone, how to follow up). Questions and Uncertainties about Growth Hormone Therapy will tackle theses issues and provide a timely and controversial review of these topics for endocrinologists and paediatricians.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 305 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (January 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0632051647
• ISBN-13: 978-0632051649
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,414,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)