OBJECTIVES: I. Compare whether the bone tissue in the spine and hip improves in patients with adult onset growth hormone deficiency treated with growth hormone (GH) vs placebo.
II. Determine whether the blood samples of these patients show evidence of beneficial bone effects after treatment with GH.
III. Compare the quality of life of these patients treated with these 2 regimens.
IV. Determine the side effects of GH in these patients.
PROTOCOL OUTLINE: This is a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, multicenter study. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.
Arm I: Patients receive growth hormone subcutaneously (SC) daily for 2 years. Arm II: Patients receive placebo SC daily for 2 years. Quality of life is assessed at the initial eligibility screening, then again within 1 month after the initial screening, and then at 1, 3, and 6 months during study therapy.
PROTOCOL ENTRY CRITERIA:
--Disease Characteristics--
--Patient Characteristics--