For Release:January 13, 1997, 5PM (ET)
Below is a highlight of a policy published in the January issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). To receive full text or interview contact information for this policy, please contact the AAP Division of Public Relations at 847/981-7877 or e-mail the division at [email protected] and ask for C122.
AAP ADVISES MEMBERS ON ETHICAL GROWTH HORMONE USE FOR CHILDREN
CHICAGO--The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a new statement warning pediatricians to exercise caution when using growth hormones to treat children. The statement, published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, says that growth hormone (GH) therapy is ethically acceptable for children who meet specific criteria. This may include children who have classic growth hormone deficiency, girls with Turners syndrome, children with chronic renal insufficiency who are awaiting kidney transplants or children whose extreme short stature keeps them from participating in basic activities of daily living. The AAP warns that there could be unknown long-term risks concerning growth hormone use, and that the treatment could result in either no increase or only an insignificant increase in final adult height. Pediatricians should also be aware that there are commercial efforts targeting parents, presenting GH therapy as the avenue to improved athletic ability and other forms of social "success" for their children. This therapy can cost up to $50,000 a year, and last up to five years. The statement calls on pediatricians to fulfill their traditional role of protecting their patients from harm, including refusing to administer burdensome and nonbeneficial treatment. The AAP concludes, "It would be better to eradicate the bias against short individuals than to attempt to eradicate the condition of being short."
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 51,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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