A Guide To Understand Hypersecretion Of Growth Hormone

Blog Outline

A human body is made up of flesh bones and some important hormones that keep us moving. Every hormone in our body is equally essential. As the human body is a delicate creation, therefore, it has been naturally set to have a certain amount of hormones and if ever these levels are imbalanced they can lead to several abnormalities in the body. Out of the list, the most prominent hormone is the growth hormone. This particular hormone is responsible for the growth, cell restoration, and lastly managing the metabolism. It is well known that excess of anything can be the major cause of negative outcomes. Excessive amounts of GH present in the body can be cause of concern as it leads to various functioning hindering issues in the sufferer’s life.  Moreover, several studies show that the onset of gigantism is often seen in females than in males and the onset age is usually 13 years.

To learn more about such issues, continue reading this blog and attain knowledge about what is growth hormone syndrome, growth hormone disorders, growth hormone disease, growth hormone abnormalities, the causes of hypersecretion of growth hormone, and ways to prevent it.

What Is A Growth Hormone?

Prior to learning about hypersecretion of growth hormone, one must learn about the function and basics of growth hormone first. Growth hormone is secreted from the pituitary gland. It is a small pea sized gland perfectly located in the base area of the brain. It aids in the following things:

  • Growth in children by initiating bone growth.
  • Regulation of distribution of muscle and fats in the body.
  • Keeping the body healthy with bone density.
  • Providing overall support to metabolism and balance out energy.

Moreover, the body naturally checks on the levels of GH in the body. But, in case the amount of secreted growth hormone is in excess then it is harmful for the body.

READ MORE: Top Facts About Growth Hormone Deficiency

What Does Hypersecretion Of Growth Hormone Actually Means?

This complex sounding term simply means when the body due to several causes fails to secrete the required amount of growth hormone. It leads to growth hormone problems and impacts the body negatively. Furthermore, overproduction of growth hormone can result in abnormal development and other health issues.

The common impacts of excessive GH production involves:

  • The effects of hypersecretion of growth hormone varies in children and adults. In children it can lead to gigantism. It is a very evident condition in which a child grows rapidly before they hit their puberty time. The child is still in their growing period, therefore, they will grow abnormally to extreme height.
  • However, the complications an adult experiences due to hypersecretion of growth hormone are different. They usually deal with acromegaly, a condition in which an adult individual experiences abnormal thickening of the body and tissues. It oftenly affects hands, face, and feets.

Common Triggers Of Hypersecretion Of Growth Hormone

There is no single cause yet discovered that leads to manifestation of signs of hypersecretion of growth hormone. However, in several cases of growth hormone issues is led due a minor tumor in the pituitary gland. Although, the tumor is benign and non-cancerous. Another commonly used name of this tumor is pituitary adenomas. The tumor is often diagnosed in the pituitary gland that leads to the high release of GH in the body.

Other possible but rare causes involve:

  • Genetic factor:

Another common but rarely occurring possible reason is that genetically inherited disorders such as McCune-Albright syndrome can be the prominent cause of the onset of GH hypersecretion.

  • Hypothalamic Dysfunction:

The hypothalamus is majorly responsible for managing the pituitary gland, and can communicate negative and abnormal signals leading to a post-puberty hypersecretion of growth hormone from the anterior pituitary gland.

READ MORE: Hormone Replacement Therapy and Weight Loss: What’s The Connection?

Signs Of GH Hypersecretion

The primary identifiers of post puberty hypersecretion of growth hormone are based on the onset of the signs in childhood or adulthood.

In children (Gigantism) is the most commonly experienced condition that is caused due to the hypersecretion of GH in the body. Children suffering from excessive secretion of growth hormone include:

  • Extreme height:

The children suffering from hypersecretion of GH often experience a sudden growth in their heights.

  • Longer Limbs:

Such a child will have longer limbs as compared to a normally grown kid.

  • Late Puberty:

Due to imbalances in hormones the body of a child suffering from excessive GH can experience late puberty.

  • Weakness:

Due to the rapid growing body a child may suffer from weakness in the body that can put strain on the muscles and joints of the kid.

In adults they experience the signs of acromegaly because of excessive secretion of GH in the body. The identifying signs an adult faces includes:

  • Enlarged hands and feets:

The excessive secretion of GH causes a person suffering from acromegaly face issues in finding the normal size fitting rings, gloves, and shoes.

  • Changed facial features:

The appearance of such people seems to be different from a normal person such as a changed jaw, nose, and eyebrows.

  • Pains in joints:

Such a person will feel sudden intense pains in their joints due to the thickening of bone and extreme tissue covering in the body.

  • Thickened skin:

The skin of such individuals is thick and has a rough texture and skin grease on it.

  • Enlarged organs:

A person experiencing the signs of hypersecretion of GH usually have enlarged internal organs such as enlarged heart, liver, kidney, and other many organs.

  • Eyesight issues:

There is a high risk of pituitary tumor pressing the surrounding brain structure due to the increased size and therefore, causes different issues in the body including eyesight problem.

READ MORE: Do You Think You Need Erectile Dysfunction Treatment?

Common Therapeutic Approaches For Overcoming Hypersecretion Of GH

To recover from any health issue, the best approach is always to consult with a healthcare professional and attain a treatment method that fits best as per the present signs. The similar goes for the healing from hypersecretion of growth hormone in the body. The best therapeutic approach are as follows:

  • Radiation therapy:

Usually this type of therapy is implemented in the end when nothing is working on a person. A radiation is passed in the brain of the sufferer that aids in minimizing the size of the existing tumor and thus, saves surrounding brain regions from being pressed and damaged.

  • Psychiatric medications:

This is adopted in scenarios where surgery is not helpful and is not promoting any healing from the signs of hypersecretion of GH. Healthcare professionals often prescribe certain psychiatric medications that aid in controlling the secretion of growth hormone. Additionally, this approach is combined with other therapeutic approaches as well such as testosterone replacement therapy, erectile dysfunction treatment, growth hormone optimization, and weight loss solutions.

  • Surgical procedure:

This is the first treatment approach usually adopted by a healthcare expert to ease the pain of sufferers. The aim is to perform a surgery and then remove the tumor. This whole surgery is performed via the nose.

READ MORE: Nutrition for men: A guide to healthy eating for energy, strength, and longevity

Summary!

Hormones are an essential part of a human life and can be distressing if they are secreted in the body in the wrong proportions. But, there are some people who experience extensive amounts of secretion of hormones in the body, especially GH. Excessive secretion of GH can lead to gigantism and acromegaly in children and adults.However, they can be treated with the right treatment methods. The widely used therapeutic approaches are surgery, psychiatric medications, and lastly radiation therapy. Moreover, sometimes some people experience hyposecretion of growth hormone as well which leads to dwarfism in them. So, if you think that you or your child have started to show signs of hypersecretion of growth, then now is the best time to consult a professional at Revive Men’s Health and attain relief.

Frequently Asked Questions

The common identifiers of hypersecretion of growth hormone are enlarged organs, thickened skin, changed facial features, late puberty, and longer limbs.

Some of the proven and widely implemented treatments for overcoming the signs of hypersecretion of growth hormone are radiation therapy, surgical procedure, and lastly psychiatric medications. 

The primary causes of the onset of signs of hypersecretion of growth hormone are genetics and Hypothalamic Dysfunction in a person’s body.

Reference and Footnotes
  1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17743-acromegaly
  2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acromegaly/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351226
  3. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22954-gigantism
  4. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/925446-overview
  5. Rostomyan, L., Daly, A. F., Petrossians, P., Nachev, E., Lila, A. R., Lecoq, A., Lecumberri, B., Trivellin, G., Salvatori, R., Moraitis, A. G., Holdaway, I., Van Klaveren, D. J. K.-., Zatelli, M. C., Palacios, N., Nozieres, C., Zacharin, M., Ebeling, T., Ojaniemi, M., Rozhinskaya, L., . . . Beckers, A. (2015). Clinical and genetic characterization of pituitary gigantism: an international collaborative study in 208 patients. Endocrine Related Cancer, 22(5), 745–757. https://doi.org/10.1530/erc-15-0320
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