Human growth hormone and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

For more than 20 years cadaver-derived human growth hormone (HGH) was used successfully to enhance linear growth in short children. In 1985 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stopped use of the hormone in response to reported deaths due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD) agent in 3 former HGH recipients. To date, a total of 9 patients have been identified who both received HGH and became infected with CJD agent (7 in the United States, 1 in Britain, and 1 in New Zealand). Circumstances make it likely that HGH contaminated with a slow growing, viral-like particle may have been responsible for these fatalities. In Oklahoma at least 60 children and adolescents previously received HGH and are potentially at risk of developing CJD. It is important that health care providers responsible for the care of these individuals be aware of this fatal illness and remain informed of new developments in the field.