Growth Hormone Can Be Given to People to Increase Their

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The Answer is When a physician considers prescribing growth hormone to a young adult to increase height, they will often request x-ray films of the patient's skeleton. The primary reason for this is to assess the status of the growth plates, also known as epiphyseal plates. Growth plates are areas of cartilage located near the ends of long bones where bone growth occurs in children and adolescents.

In a young adult, the physician is looking for evidence of whether the growth plates have fused or not. Growth plates typically fuse after puberty, which marks the end of bone growth in length. This fusion is a natural process that occurs when the cartilage in the growth plates is replaced by bone, effectively closing the plates and preventing further lengthening of the bones.

If the x-ray films show that the growth plates are still open (not fully fused), there may be potential for further growth, and the physician might consider it appropriate to prescribe growth hormone to help stimulate bone growth. Growth hormone can promote the activity of the growth plates, potentially leading to an increase in height.

However, if the x-ray films reveal that the growth plates have already fused, it is unlikely that growth hormone treatment would increase height. In such cases, prescribing growth hormone would not be effective for height increase and could potentially lead to unwanted side effects. Therefore, the physician would likely withhold growth hormone treatment for the purpose of increasing height.

It is important to note that the decision to give or withhold growth hormone is also influenced by other factors, including the patient's overall health, the presence of any contraindications, the potential risks and benefits of treatment, and the specific reasons for seeking growth hormone therapy. The use of growth hormone for height increase is a complex medical decision that should be made by a healthcare professional after a thorough evaluation of the individual patient's circumstances.

Growth Hormone Can Be Given to People to Increase Their

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