Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 81, Issue 12 , Pages 1594-1595, December 2000

Bilateral median neuropathy and growth hormone use: A case report☆☆

Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Dickerman); Department of Surgery, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX (Douglas); and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (East)

Accepted 20 January 2000.

Abstract 

Dickerman RD, Douglas JA, East JW. Bilateral median neuropathy and growth hormone use: a case report. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2000;81:1594-5. A male elite bodybuilder suffered bilateral median nerve neuropathy during a self-administered course of growth hormone (GH). Nerve conduction velocities revealed bilateral median neuropathy consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). This is the first case of GH-induced CTS occurring in an athlete. Contrary to earlier studies, this report demonstrates that GH-induced CTS is not an age-related phenomenon and alerts physicians to include GH abuse as a possible etiology of median neuropathy in athletes. © 2000 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Keywords:  Peripheral neuropathies, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Growth hormones, recombinant, Case report, Rehabilitation

 

 No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.

☆☆ Reprint requests to Rob D. Dickerman, DO, PhD, National Institutes of Health, Surgical Neurology Branch, 10 Center Dr, Bldg 10, Rm 5D37, Bethesda, MD 20892.

PII: S0003-9993(00)21173-8

doi:10.1053/apmr.2000.7159

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 81, Issue 12 , Pages 1594-1595, December 2000