Childhood Growth Hormone Deficiency and Hypopituitarism

Hypopituitarism is the deficiency in varying degrees of one or multiple pituitary hormones. In this chapter, deficiency of growth hormone (GH) will be discussed, while other hormonal deficiencies are presented elsewhere in this book. To understand GH deficiency (GHD), the mechanisms of GH production and its secretion are first presented. There are multiple etiologies of GHD, and an ever-increasing number of genetic causes have been uncovered. However, the ability to make the diagnosis of GHD remains difficult, and the interpretation of laboratory studies remains controversial.