The activity of growth hormone in humans has been known since at least Biblical times and then through the centuries with many giants/those with acromegaly noted in paintings (e.g., Goya’s Colossus). It was not until the late 19th century that acromegaly was considered due to a pituitary tumor. A number of animal experiments were performed in the early 20th century that unequivocally noted a growth promoting hormone from the anterior pituitary, with growth hormone finally purified from the human in the late 1940s. Animal growth hormones were not active in the human (unlike insulin) and the first report of an adolescent with growth hormone deficiency treated with human growth hormone was noted in 1958. Growth hormone was in short supply until the recombinant era.

With a greater amount of growth hormone available, it's possible to treat children and adults who have numerous conditions which have approval from the regulatory bodies in addition to growth hormone deficiency. Moreover, one can now study physiology, pathophysiology, and learn about the “metabolic” hormone, which may be a more proper name for growth hormone.

The co-editors of this Research Topic welcome original research and review articles with a broad range of relevance to the growth hormone/IGF-1 system from basic metabolic studies to clinical trials in order to sharpen the focus on the conditions that are already approved as well as to determine if there are others that may benefit, for example, those adults with the Prader-Willi syndrome.

The Editors are interested in work discussing the following areas:
• Optimal dosing of growth hormone in the various conditions approved and new indications
• Metabolic effects of hGH in those with acromegaly over the long term
• GH/IGF-1 system in other conditions, for example McCune-Albright syndrome and other causes of precocious puberty
• Systematic review of stimulation and suppression tests for GH deficit and excess
• Systematic review of IGF-1 therapy for multiple indications
• Differences in metabolic actions in females and males
• GH/IGF-1 effects on bone
• Growth hormone and neoplasia, both basic and treatment
• Safety of growth hormone treatment over the longer term and new safety issues with the various Long-acting preparations.
• Obesity and GH secretion (and action)
• Undernutrition and GH secretion (and action)

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