are growth hormones good for hepatitis c

Hello Carlos

  Any medical related questions are best advised through your physican
or in the cases of HCV a hepatologist. In treatment of Hepatitis C,
the best websites are unbiased and are not trying to sell you any type
of product and service.

Currently , as of June 13,2002 reported by Joyce Frieden of Reuters
Health ,the best treatment of Hepatitis C in medical research is the
"combining two therapies remains the best way to treat hepatitis C
infection, according to a draft consensus panel statement released
Wednesday during a conference at the National Institutes of Health.

The combination includes interferon, a protein that blocks virus
reproduction, and the antiviral medication ribavirin. Go to
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_8048.html for the
current info.

There are alternative therapies but none currently work and scientists
around the world are working hard on cures. A full search of various
credible websites and search engines showed no medical literature on
growth hormone and Hepatitis C. eg.  http://webmd.com and
http://www.priorityneighborhoods.com/sv/default.asp?SessionID={00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}&page={95666A85-0B8B-44C1-9C3F-3391E57BB3D5}&site={507B00FD-3C85-41BE-91B4-F23A168DA465}
(the last link is the Hepatitis c neighbourhood a fanastic source for
all your questions, free registration is required).

For a solid unbiased report, with plenty of medical refrences in the
area of alternative therapy visit  General Nutrition Centers at
http://www.gnc.com or more specifically for HCV go to
http://gnc.mondosearch.com/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=13657355&EXTRA_ARG=&host_id=1&page_id=4089&query=hepatitis+c&hiword=HEPATITIS+C+HEPATITISA+#Herb-Options

 As a final note human growth hormone has been used in athletics, and
is being touted as a life extension or regenvation treatment but the
main precaution for anyone with Hepatitis C is that the liver is
stressed and diseased and with any drugs introduced to the system they
have to be metabolized by the liver. Any drugs taken must be discussed
with a hepatologist to determine the risk to the liver.

To your health

bizwhiz-ga

search terms used: hepatitis c + growth hormone

ps clarify if you have any reference to growth hormone with hepatitis
c

Went to medline use ("hepatitis C" OR HCV) AND ("growth hormone" OR
GH)
Brief answer: NO

The articles found  measured GH levels of patients on interferon-
the GH levels were increased as were cortisol and other stress
hormones.
The higher GH levels may then cause "insulin resistance" (reducing the
effectiveness of insulin in maintaining glucose homeostasis).

Here is a link to a full-text article:
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/83/10/3681

Change of peripheral levels of pituitary hormones and cytokines after
injection
of interferon (IFN)-beta in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998 Oct;83(10):3681-7.
PMID: 9768684 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

2:  Imano E, Kanda T, Ishigami Y, Kubota M, Ikeda M, Matsuhisa M,
Kawamori R,
Yamasaki Y. 
Interferon induces insulin resistance in patients with chronic active
hepatitis
C.
J Hepatol. 1998 Feb;28(2):189-93.
PMID: 9514530 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

3:  Muller H, Hiemke C, Hammes E, Hess G. 
Sub-acute effects of interferon-alpha 2 on adrenocorticotrophic
hormone,
cortisol, growth hormone and prolactin in humans.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1992 Oct;17(5):459-65.
PMID: 1336606 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

4:  Bonora E, Orioli S, Coscelli C, Buzzelli G, Gentilini P, Butturini
U.
Possible roles of insulin, glucagon, growth hormone and free fatty
acids in the
pathogenesis of insulin resistance of subjects with chronic liver
diseases.
Acta Diabetol Lat. 1984 Jul-Sep;21(3):241-50.
PMID: 6393673 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

This paper examined the effects of GH on adult with chronic liver
disease (CLD)

J Clin Endocrinol Metab  2002 Jun;87(6):2751-9 
GH treatment in adults with chronic liver disease: a randomized,
double-blind,
placebo-controlled, cross-over study.
Wallace JD, Abbott-Johnson WJ, Crawford DH, Barnard R, Potter JM,
Cuneo RC.

Metabolic Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of
Queensland,
Princess Alexandra Hospital, Wooloongabba, Brisbane 4102, Australia.
jwallace@medicine.pa.uq.edu.au

They found:

Clinical side effects included worsening edema and ascites.
Hepatocellular function did not change. Therefore, rhGH treatment in
CLD: 1) overcame hepatic GH resistance; 2) may have improved
whole-body protein catabolism; 3) increased lipolysis and lipid
oxidation; 4) increased insulin resistance; and 5) had potent
antinatriuretic effects. Long-term safety and efficacy require further
assessment.

Found some more references: 
Here: the authors found Hepatitis C virus activates the IGF-II
(insulin-like growth factor II gene), GH does this as well.  IGF-II
has been associated with liver carcinogenesis.

J Endocrinol  2002 Mar;172(3):457-65 
GH is a regulator of IGF2 promoter-specific transcription in human
liver.
von Horn H, Ekstrom C, Ellis E, Olivecrona H, Einarsson C, Tally M,
Ekstrom TJ.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Experimental Alcohol and Drug
Addiction
Research Section, Karolinska Hospital, L8:01, S-171 76 Stockholm,
Sweden.

Virology  2001 May 10;283(2):167-77 
Hepatitis C virus core protein transactivates insulin-like growth
factor II gene
transcription through acting concurrently on Egr1 and Sp1 sites.
Lee S, Park U, Lee YI.