Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: implications for growth hormone deficient children.

For over 25 years children with short stature due to growth hormone deficiency have been able to achieve normal height with the aid of human growth hormone (hGH) injections. Following reports of four deaths due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in young adults previously treated with hGH this treatment has ceased. There are major implications due to the potential risks of further cases of CJD and to the lack of a previously well-tried therapeutic substitute.