The same growth hormone that the soccer player and captain of the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi, received, is applied with great success to some 300 Costa Rican minors by the Children’s Hospital. This is a treatment that places Costa Rica at the forefront of the Central American region.
At the age of 11, Messi was just 1.32 meters tall, so despite his talent he was rejected in the minor leagues of various Argentinian teams such as River Plate and Newell’s Old Boys because of his height, since, according to supervisors, the boy could not compete with other larger players, while the clubs did not want to invest in an innovative and expensive treatment.
This made his father, Jorge Messi, travel with him to FC Barcelona for a trial with the legendary Spanish team, who were surprised by the player’s talent and therefore paid for the growth hormone treatment that, at that time, cost about US$ 1,300, approximately. The rest is already history. Today, Messi is one of the world leaders in this sport, with million-dollar contracts, followers around the world and fighting for a soccer world cup right now.
Messi’s story could further inspire the Costa Rican authorities to continue implementing this type of treatment in the country, which has made us today a benchmark in terms of health, according to Dr. Erick Richmond, head of the Endocrinology of the National Children’s Hospital.
Human growth hormone is a substance that precisely controls the growth of the body and is produced by a pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. In summary, it is responsible for the increase in height and muscle mass of children. The synthetic hormone as such is purchased from Belgium and the annual purchase represents a cost of US$ 473 thousand, which is equivalent to more than ¢ 289 million.
The Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) makes ordinary purchases of the product with deliveries, according to demand. The acquisition is managed every 4 years. Richmond added that an average of 30 to 40 new cases are received a year, whose ages range from 5 to 10 years. Minors are referred to the Hospital because their growth is abnormally slow according to the curves established according to the age of each one of them.
As happened with Messi, every child who aspires to treatment must begin a series of preliminary tests that determine if he/she suffers from growth hormone deficiency. These tests can take between 6 months and 1 year, until you have a complete diagnosis. It is important to rule out that the growth problem is due to other causes such as malnutrition or chronic disease.
Once the patient qualifies, he is subjected to rigorous controls, since it is necessary to take blood measurements to adjust the doses of the hormone in safe and effective ranges, said Dr. Richmond. The doctor confirmed that the hormone is injected once a day and the first few times it is applied in the hospital and then the parents and even the patient can administer the injection at home.
For Messi, that was the routine for 3 long years, which he made up for a few years later with unmatched talent. Today, the Argentinian is 1.70 meters tall and has won every soccer title in existence, except for the prestigious World Cup. “Once a night I was injected with growth hormone. I was changing legs. At first my parents put it on me, until I learned and I was doing it alone”, said the soccer player on a TV program.
The blisters supplemented the deficit in the supply of growth hormone from the pituitary gland, a gland that is at the base of the skull and is responsible for regulating certain body functions such as development. At the Children’s Hospital, the control to measure the results is carried out every six months and the injection is applied until the child stops growing naturally until approximately 16 years old. “The results are very positive and even in the first 3 or 6 months. The patients begin to normalize and reach the ranges of the growth curve that corresponds to them”, said the head of Endocrinology of the HNN.
At the moment, the hospital center does not have waiting lists and receives children from all over the country, as long as they comply with the requirements and procedures. Good news! Because it is a deficit that can be solved, and it gave Messi the opportunity to further exploit his abilities and grow, not only physically but emotionally.
The power of this hormone
Growth hormone deficiency may be present at birth, or may be the result of brain injury:
• It is a clinical disorder caused by problems that arise in the pituitary or pituitary gland, characterized by insufficient production of growth hormone that affects both children and adults. • Growth hormone treatment is recommended to be administered initially at an early age.
