[New perspectives on the treatment of growth hormone deficiency]

In the last few years the therapeutic management of GHD children has been improved by the recent synthesis of GH by DNA recombinant technique (rGH). rGH made it possible to overcome the problems of availability and purity of extractive GH, obtaining the same results (in growth velocity) without any information as regards late side effects of such a treatment. GHRH therapy in GHD patients of hypothalamic origin is still on trial and a lot of aspects are to be pointed out (indications to treatment, schedule and route of administration, cost/benefit ration, side effects).