The effect of recombinant human growth hormone on wound healing in normal individuals

Growth hormone therapy has been suggested to speed wound healing in postoperative patients and in patients with severe burns. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of recombinant human growth hormone on the rate of wound healing in normal individuals. Twenty-three healthy males were evaluated in a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Each subject received a split-thickness wound (Davol-Keratome) on one buttock and a full-thickness wound (3-mm punch biopsy) on the other. The full-thickness wound healed significantly more slowly in the recombinant human growth hormone-treated group as compared with the placebo control group (t-test, P = .001). No statistically significant difference was noted in the healing of the split-thickness wounds. It is concluded that recombinant human growth hormone may impede healing in normal patients with full-thickness wounds as compared with treatment with placebo. We cannot rule out, however, that the recombinant human growth hormone affected the quality of the scab in full-thickness wounds and thereby only appeared to alter the wound-healing process.