Growth Hormone Therapy
Growth Hormone Treatment is one of the key interventions required in the management of Prader-Willi syndrome.
For children
Following a diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome one of the most important things to consider is talking to your doctor about Growth Hormone Therapy (GHT). This treatment is recommended for people with PWS, for more information please download PWSA (USA)’s consensus statement below.
The immediate benefit is that it will strengthen muscle tone. It will also take away the typical features of PWS so that your child will take on his or her familial features. With stronger muscle tone, milestones will be reached quicker and more easily and with good muscle tone the child can keep up with his or her peers, work off calories more easily and benefit from a feeling of wellness and well-being.
Although some countries may not yet have Growth Hormone Therapy available, the cost of this treatment in many countries can make it attainable privately. Please talk to your doctor first.
Growth Hormone and Prader-Willi Syndome (3rd Edition): A reference for families and care providers. PWSA | USA
For Adults
Growth Hormone Therapy is now also available to adults in some parts of the world. The Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board has developed a Consensus Statement on the use of Growth Hormone in adults, which you can download below.
Growth Hormone in Adults Consensus Statement
Statement published in Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, February 2021
Further resources: Growth Charts
Growth charts:
0-36 Months
To generate and report standardized growth curves for weight, length, head circumference, weight/length, and BMI for non– growth hormone–treated white infants (boys and girls) with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) between 0 and 36 months of age. The goal was to monitor growth and compare data with other infants with PWS.
Growth charts:
0-18 Years
The purpose of the current study was to develop syndrome-specific standardized growth curves for growth hormone–treated Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) individuals aged 0 to 18 years. Anthropometric growth-related measures were obtained on 171 subjects with PWS who were treated with growth hormone for at least 40% of their lifespan.
Growth charts: 3-18 Years Non-Growth Hormone Treated
The goal of this study was to generate and report standardized growth curves for abstract weight, height, head circumference, and BMI for non–growth hormone–treated white male and female US subjects with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) between 3 and 18 years of age and develop standardized growth charts.
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