title: Growth hormone: secretion and administration in catabolic adult patients, with emphasis on the critically ill patient.
abstract: Critical illness, surgery and hypocaloric feeding are accompanied by a high rate of total body nitrogen loss. Loss of body protein, occurring despite adequate nutrition, results in increased incidence of infection, poor wound healing, skeletal muscle weakness and increased mortality. Growth hormone (GH) administration together with nutritional support attenuates protein catabolism. This review focuses on normal GH physiology and the administration of GH in adult catabolic patients.
authors.affiliation: Medical Intensive Care Unit, Free University Hospital, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Voerman
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Strack van Schijndel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Thijs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone