July 26, 2005 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) -- Growth hormone may help to stave off AIDS, research shows.In a new study, growth hormone injections stimulated the production of immune system cells that can help the body fight infection, says Kimberly Smith, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.The researchers looked at immune cells known as CD4 T cells, which are destroyed by HIV. As the number of disease-fighting CD4 cells drops, HIV-infected persons lose their ability to fight off infections related to AIDS.
