Growth hormone deficiency
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Glossary

Cartridge

The round plastic tube that contains your growth hormone. It fits into both 5 mg and 15 mg NordiPen® delivery systems.

Catch-up growth

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) causes growth that is slower than normal. When GHD is treated with human growth hormone therapy, the body starts to grow faster and there is "catch-up" growth. In other words, the body tries to catch up to reach the limit of what is considered normal for that age. The age at which a person starts growth hormone therapy is very important, because the potential for catch-up growth may decrease as the child becomes older. The goal of treatment is to have catch-up growth allow the child or teenager reach his or her full potential adult height—the height the child would have reached if he or she did not have GHD.

Closed epiphyses

The epiphyses extend from the ends of our long bones and are centers of growth. The epiphyses remain open while a person still has potential for growth; when the epiphyses are closed, there is no potential for growth.

Full growth potential

Everyone has a different full growth potential, the maximum (most) height a person can grow. A person's full growth potential depends on many things, including the height of your mother, father, and other family members.

Glands

Specialized parts of the body that make hormones that act as chemical messengers taking messages from one part of the body to another. The pituitary gland sends out growth hormone. This makes us grow. There are numerous glands and hormones in the body, performing a variety of important functions.

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD)

GHD means a person's body doesn't make enough growth hormone by itself. GHD may be present at birth or at any time during infancy or childhood. It is usually the result of the pituitary gland failing to produce enough growth hormone. Fortunately, growth hormone treatment does exist in the form of a commercially produced, biosynthetic hormone replacement therapy, such as Norditropin®. Biosynthetic growth hormone treatment is 100% identical to the natural growth hormone made by the body and has been safely manufactured using biotechnical methods since 1986.

Human growth hormone (hGH)

A hormone is a special chemical made by our glands that can carry messages from one part of our bodies to another. Our bodies have many different types of hormones. hGH is the growth hormone made by the pituitary gland found in people. It is a special chemical messenger that the pituitary gland sends to the bones when the brain tells it to. When growth hormone gets to the bones, it causes us to grow.

Hypopituitarism

Hypopituitarism (pronounced high-po-PIT-oo-i-tar-ism) is when the pituitary does not make enough of several different types of hormones, not just growth hormone. Some of these other hormones include thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Children who have hypopituitarism are usually normal in size at birth and have relatively normal growth when they are infants. But then, during childhood, growth slows down a lot.

Intracranial hypertension (IH)

This is a condition in which the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inside the skull is too high. IH, along with papilledema, vision change, headache, nausea, and vomiting, have been reported in a small number of patients on growth hormone therapy.

NordiCare®

NordiCare® is a program for children, teens, and adults who take Norditropin®, their families, nurses, and doctors. NordiCare® provides users of Norditropin® products with insurance assistance to ensure that they receive their medication. NordiCare® also provides Norditropin® Starter Kits with educational materials, an instructional video, Norditropin®, and much more. For more information, go to the NordiCare® support section.

Papilledema

Papilledema is a swelling of the optic nerve where it enters the back of the eye. It is caused by increased pressure from the cerebrospinal fluid and can cause headache, nausea, vomiting, and visual changes.

Pituitary

A very small, and very important, gland in our bodies. About the size of a pea, it is just below the brain and just behind the top of the nose. When the brain tells it to, the pituitary gland sends growth hormone to our bones and causes us to grow.

Stimulation Test (Stim Test)

A Stim Test is a procedure used to determine if your pituitary gland, the gland that produces growth hormone, is doing its job. The test will “stimulate” your pituitary gland, helping your doctor understand if your hormones are being secreted in normal amounts. During the test, 1 or more medicines will be given to you…some in pill form (which can usually be dissolved, if necessary), some by injection or IV needle. At various time intervals, samples of blood will be taken so the doctor can measure how the growth hormone in your body is responding. Often, a small needle is inserted into a vein for the duration of the test (also called a “port”) so that several blood samples can be taken with only 1 needle insertion. Throughout the test, you will be kept comfortable, either in a recliner, hospital bed, or on an exam table. Total testing time may take several hours, so you should plan your day around it.


Important Safety Information

Remember, your doctor is the main source of information about you and your health. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or your medication.

Norditropin® (somatropin [rDNA origin] injection) is used to treat children with growth failure caused by very low or no production of growth hormone. It is also used to treat adults who do not make enough growth hormone.

Do not use Norditropin® if you have any of the following conditions: an allergy to phenol or any other ingredients in the medicine; active cancer or other forms of tumor; acute critical illness due to certain types of heart or abdomen surgery, trauma, or acute respiratory failure.

Children should not use Norditropin® if they have any of the following conditions: closed epiphyses (closed bone growth plates), Prader-Willi syndrome with severe obesity, or Prader-Willi syndrome with significant respiratory impairment.

Be sure to tell your doctor if you have diabetes mellitus; have had cancer or other forms of tumor; are pregnant, planning to be pregnant or are breastfeeding; or if you have had a kidney transplant.

Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications you are taking especially if they are: a glucocorticoid medication such as hydrocortisone or cortisone acetate, thyroid hormone, insulin and/or oral diabetes medicines, drugs metabolized by the liver (for example, corticosteroids, sex steroids, anticonvulsants, cyclosporine), or oral estrogen replacement.

Adult height can be influenced if you are on Norditropin® for growth failure and at the same time using glucocorticoids or thyroid hormone.

If you are treated with insulin and/or oral diabetes medicines, the dose of your insulin/oral diabetes medicines may need to be adjusted.

Side effects are usually mild and temporary. Side effects may include headaches, muscle pain, joint stiffness, weakness, high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), sugar in your urine (glucosuria), swollen hands and feet due to fluid retention, and redness and itching in the area you inject.

If you have any of these symptoms, discuss them with your doctor.

If you have headaches, eyesight problems, nausea and/or vomiting, these may be symptoms of raised pressure in the brain. Contact your doctor right away.

In very rare cases children treated with somatropin have experienced pain in the hip or knee or a limp. These symptoms may be caused by a slippage of the growth plate in the hip (slipped capital femoral epiphysis).

Scoliosis (curvature of the spine) can occur in children who experience rapid growth. Because growth hormone increases growth rate, children should be monitored for progression of scoliosis.

Thyroid function tests should be performed periodically.

Skin lesions should be checked carefully for any unusual changes.

Talk to your doctor if you think you have any of these conditions.
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Remember, your doctor is the primary source of information regarding you and your health. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or medication.
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