Muscular Dystrophy Human Growth Hormone
The role of human growth hormone in treating muscular dystrophy is as yet unclear. Several studies have seen mixed results and it must be acknowledged experts are ambivalent about using HGH to treat various muscular dystrophies.

The muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of more than 30 genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

One of the most common types is the Duchenne-type muscular dystrophy. Duchenne MD primarily affects boys and is caused by the absence of a protein called dystrophin, which is vital in maintaining muscle integrity. Boys affected by this condition are unable to walk by the age of 12 and in most cases are put on respirators to maintain breathing.

In the 1980s researchers started to give muscular dystrophy patients human growth hormone as well as testosterone as these hormones are anabolic and could increase the synthesis of muscle proteins. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, HGH did increase the synthesis of muscle proteins, but did not strengthen the musculature of the patients.

Instead HGH in muscular dystrophy caused the patients to become resistant to insulin thus putting them at risk of developing diabetes as well. However this technique of administering growth hormone to MD patients enabled scientists to home in on molecular targets of growth hormone.

Some studies also report HGH therapy in muscular dystrophy caused patients to become hyper responsive. A study by Daniel Rudman and colleagues at the Emory University School of Medicine found that exogenous HGH causes a catabolic effect in boys with Duchenne dystrophy. The study is published in the May 1972 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation.

More recently a study by Cittadini A and colleagues of University Federico II in Naples, Italy reported in the European Heart Journal in April 2003 that GH therapy in patients with Duchenne MD caused hypertrophic response and increased the size of the left ventricle of the heart. However there were no changes in skeletal muscle function.

As is obvious the use of HGH and its derivatives in muscular dystrophy is not conclusive. Many trials are ongoing to determine if the hormone can help these patients improve their quality of life.