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Digestive Tract Disorders
Studies by Doug Wilmore, M.D. and associates at Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston demonstrate the effectiveness of hGH injections combined with the amino acid L-Glutamine in regenerating the digestive tracts of patients with short bowel syndrome. Before therapy, the digestive tracts of these patients were incapable of digesting food; hence, patients had to be fed intravenously. After therapy, the same patients were able to eat solid food and absorb nutrients effectively. This work holds great promise for the number of people with colitis and Crohn's disease whose diseases typically continue to worsen with standard medical protocols. It also suggests yet another way that growth hormone therapy works to reverse the aging process. All of us experience a decline in nutrient absorption as we age due to the thinning of the lining of the digestive tract. In fact, the permeability of the digestive tract lining has been directly correlated with the onset of a variety of illnesses. When the digestive tract lining becomes very thin a patient may be told that she has Leaky Gut Syndrome-a condition that may lead to a variety of autoimmune diseases, rheumatism, allergies, and arthritis.
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* N Engl J Med. 2000 Jun 1;342(22):1664-6.
A preliminary study of growth hormone therapy for Crohn's disease.
Slonim AE, Bulone L, Damore MB, Goldberg T, Wingertzahn MA, McKinley MJ.
Department of Pediatrics, North Shore University Hospital and New York University School of Medicine, Manhasset 11030, USA. slonim@nshs.edu
BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the bowel. In a preliminary study, we evaluated whether the administration of growth hormone (somatropin) as well as a high-protein diet would ameliorate the symptoms of the disease. METHODS: We randomly assigned 37 adults with moderate-to-severe active Crohn's disease to four months of self-administered injections of growth hormone (loading dose, 5 mg per day subcutaneously for one week, followed by a maintenance dose of 1.5 mg per day) or placebo. We instructed all patients to increase their protein intake to at least 2 g per kilogram of body weight per day. Patients continued to be treated by their usual physicians and to receive other medications for Crohn's disease. The primary end point was the change in scores on the Crohn's Disease Activity Index from base line to month 4. Scores can range from 0 to 600, with higher scores indicating more disease activity. RESULTS: At base line, the mean (+/-SD) score on the Crohn's Disease Activity Index was somewhat higher among the 19 patients in the growth hormone group than among the 18 patients in the placebo group (287+/-134 vs. 213+/-120, P=0.09). Three patients in the placebo group withdrew before their first follow-up visit and were not included in the data analysis. At four months, the Crohn's Disease Activity Index score had decreased by a mean of 143+/-144 points in the growth hormone group, as compared with a decrease of 19+/-63 points in the placebo group (P=0.004). Side effects in the growth hormone group included edema (in 10 patients) and headache (in 5) and usually resolved within the first month of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study suggests that growth hormone may be a beneficial treatment for patients with Crohn's disease.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
Studies are looking at the use of human growth hormone (HGH) combined with a high-protein diet to treat Crohn's disease. In a clinical trial, people treated this way had fewer symptoms after one month, and the benefits continued. The long-term risks and benefits are still being studied. Studies also are looking at the use of a gene-based drug to help growth of healthy tissue in people with ulcerative colitis, as well as new medications to use against factors that cause or promote inflammation.
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Studies by Doug Wilmore, M.D. and associates at Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston demonstrate the effectiveness of hGH injections combined with the amino acid L-Glutamine in regenerating the digestive tracts of patients with short bowel syndrome. Before therapy, the digestive tracts of these patients were incapable of digesting food; hence, patients had to be fed intravenously. After therapy, the same patients were able to eat solid food and absorb nutrients effectively. This work holds great promise for the number of people with colitis and Crohn's disease whose diseases typically continue to worsen with standard medical protocols. It also suggests yet another way that growth hormone therapy works to reverse the aging process. All of us experience a decline in nutrient absorption as we age due to the thinning of the lining of the digestive tract. In fact, the permeability of the digestive tract lining has been directly correlated with the onset of a variety of illnesses. When the digestive tract lining becomes very thin a patient may be told that she has Leaky Gut Syndrome-a condition that may lead to a variety of autoimmune diseases, rheumatism, allergies, and arthritis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* N Engl J Med. 2000 Jun 1;342(22):1664-6.
A preliminary study of growth hormone therapy for Crohn's disease.
Slonim AE, Bulone L, Damore MB, Goldberg T, Wingertzahn MA, McKinley MJ.
Department of Pediatrics, North Shore University Hospital and New York University School of Medicine, Manhasset 11030, USA. slonim@nshs.edu
BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the bowel. In a preliminary study, we evaluated whether the administration of growth hormone (somatropin) as well as a high-protein diet would ameliorate the symptoms of the disease. METHODS: We randomly assigned 37 adults with moderate-to-severe active Crohn's disease to four months of self-administered injections of growth hormone (loading dose, 5 mg per day subcutaneously for one week, followed by a maintenance dose of 1.5 mg per day) or placebo. We instructed all patients to increase their protein intake to at least 2 g per kilogram of body weight per day. Patients continued to be treated by their usual physicians and to receive other medications for Crohn's disease. The primary end point was the change in scores on the Crohn's Disease Activity Index from base line to month 4. Scores can range from 0 to 600, with higher scores indicating more disease activity. RESULTS: At base line, the mean (+/-SD) score on the Crohn's Disease Activity Index was somewhat higher among the 19 patients in the growth hormone group than among the 18 patients in the placebo group (287+/-134 vs. 213+/-120, P=0.09). Three patients in the placebo group withdrew before their first follow-up visit and were not included in the data analysis. At four months, the Crohn's Disease Activity Index score had decreased by a mean of 143+/-144 points in the growth hormone group, as compared with a decrease of 19+/-63 points in the placebo group (P=0.004). Side effects in the growth hormone group included edema (in 10 patients) and headache (in 5) and usually resolved within the first month of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study suggests that growth hormone may be a beneficial treatment for patients with Crohn's disease.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
Studies are looking at the use of human growth hormone (HGH) combined with a high-protein diet to treat Crohn's disease. In a clinical trial, people treated this way had fewer symptoms after one month, and the benefits continued. The long-term risks and benefits are still being studied. Studies also are looking at the use of a gene-based drug to help growth of healthy tissue in people with ulcerative colitis, as well as new medications to use against factors that cause or promote inflammation.
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