AGHD numbers in the US2
adults with a diagnosis
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new cases reported annuallya
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AGHD (combining both adult-onset GHD and childhood-onset GHD) is presumed to affect 2 to 3 adults per 10,000, but the true incidence rate is difficult to estimate.1
aIncludes children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) transitioning to adulthood.
Diagnosing AGHD
Diagnosing adult growth hormone deficiency can be challenging due to a lack of a single biologic endpoint.
- Random serum growth hormone (GH) levels cannot be used alone, because GH is naturally secreted in a pulsatile pattern by the pituitary gland and changes with age, gender and body mass index.
- Low serum IGF-1 levels may result from causes other than AGHD, such as protein or calorie malnutrition, renal failure or chronic liver disease.1
GH-stimulation tests are recommended for appropriate adult patients, but are not required for those with a predictably high likelihood of GHD, such as patients with genetic defects affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary axes, with hypothalamic-pituitary structural brain defects, or with organic hypothalamic-pituitary disease with multiple pituitary hormone deficiency and low IGF-1 levels.1
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The diagnosis of AGHD is dependent upon the accuracy and reliability of the GH-stimulation test used.1
Multiple methods of testing are available. These are described in clinical guidelines by The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology.1