Growth hormone deficiency

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Endocrine glands

Height/weight chart

Panhypopituitarism; Dwarfism; Pituitary dwarfism

• Slowed or absent increase in height
• Slow growth before age 5
• Short stature -- below 5th percentile on a standardized growth chart, an adult less than 5 feet tall
• Absent or delayed sexual development in an adolescent
• Headaches
• Excessive thirst with excessive urination
• Increased urine volume

A physical examination including weight, height, and body proportions will show signs of slowed growth rate and deviation from normal growth curves.

Tests may include the following:

• Hand x-ray can determine bone age.
• DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) can also determine bone age.
• Measurement of growth hormone and associated binding protein levels (IGF-I and IGFBP-3) reveals if the growth problem is caused by dysfunction of the pituitary gland.
• Tests to measure other hormone levels (lack of growth hormone may not be an isolated problem).
• X-ray of head may show problems with the skull, such as small, enlarged, or empty sella or a space-occupying lesion.
• MRI of the head can show the hypothalamus and pituitary glands.

Review Date: 06/13/2006
Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.