Abstract

Short stature is one of the commonest chronic problems encountered in paediatric practice, possibly because almost any long-term disease in children can slow growth and because parents may regard short stature as a disability in itself. For some, a potential treatment is growth hormone and, in England alone in 2000, over 39,000 prescriptions, costing more than £26.8 million, were dispensed for synthetic human growth hormone (somatropin),1 mostly for children. Here, we discuss the place of synthetic human growth hormone in the management of children with short stature associated with growth hormone deficiency or other conditions, such as Turner's syndrome and chronic renal insufficiency.