Gigantism is a rare disease that is characterized by abnormally tall stature. Its first symptoms may appear already in childhood or early adolescence, when the bones have not yet grown together and the growth cartilages have ossified. The tallest man in history to suffer from gigantism, he was 272 cm tall.

Gigantismor excessive growth of the skeleton and body mass is most often divided intopituitary gigantismandeunuchoid gigantism. The former is most often caused by disorders of the pituitary gland related to the secretion of too much growth hormone. This is usually caused by a pituitary adenoma, a benign tumor that compresses the surrounding nerves, disrupting the functioning of this important gland. The overproduction of growth hormone in children causes gigantism, and acromegaly in adults (it occurs most often between 30-45 years of age). In both cases, not only excessive growth occurs, but the disease also affects the growth of soft tissues, which causes enlargement of the hands, feet and lower jaw. It is also accompanied by other symptoms, including:

  • loss of lateral visual field
  • hypertension
  • muscle weakness
  • diabetes
  • joint and spine pains.

In addition to pituitary gigantism, there is also eunuchoid gigantism, caused by a deficiency of sex hormones. It causes delayed ossification of bones and delayed sexual maturation, which, on the one hand, causes excessive growth and, on the other hand, visible disorders of sexual maturation (e.g. no hair in intimate places, no mutations in boys, no menstruation in girls).

Gigantism: correct diagnosis

All disturbing symptoms suggesting gigantism should be consulted with a doctor. This is important as early treatment usually gives a better prognosis. In addition, the doctor must confirm that the patient does not suffer from other diseases that also manifest as overgrowth. You need, among others exclude Carney's syndrome (a rare disease in which several cancers develop at the same time), McCune-Albright syndrome (a genetic disease in which excessive secretion of growth hormone is one of the symptoms), or multiple adenomatosis type 1 (a diseasegenetic, in which it can occur, among others to the formation of a tumor of the anterior pituitary gland).

Basic tests in the case of suspected gigantism are computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, which will give a 100% answer to the question whether we are dealing with a pituitary tumor. In addition, you need to perform hormonal tests, including determination of the level of prolactin, the level of growth hormone, adrenal hormones, sex hormones. Only the results of these studies will give a full picture of whether the patient suffers from gigantism, what type and how advanced the disease is.

Gigantism: treatment

In the case of pituitary gigantism, treatment mainly consists in trying to remove the tumor that is the primary cause of the disease. If it is not possible to remove it completely or there are contraindications to surgery, then somatostatin therapy is used, which inhibits the secretion of growth hormone. In the case of eunuchoid gigantism, treatment consists in supplementing the deficiencies of sex hormones. The doctor selects the appropriate dose and possibly modifies it due to the results of the follow-up tests.

Worth knowing

Gigantism: known casesThe most famous case of a patient suffering from gigantism was Robert Wadlow. He was born in 1918 in the United States. He was born as a handsome newborn, weighing almost 4 kg, but already a year and a half later he reached a weight of 30 kg. Every year he grew taller and more massive - by the age of 12 he was already 210 cm tall. After many medical consultations and tests, it turned out that he had a tumor of the pituitary gland, but his parents decided not to undergo surgery. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was associated with the risk of numerous complications, and even life-threatening. Unfortunately, the high growth of Robert Wadlow and the growth of tissue mass (he had large hands and feet) caused many he alth ailments, and as a result also led to his death. In shoes specially designed for him, he rubbed his ankle and he became infected. When he died, he was only 22 years old and was 272 cm tall. Currently, the tallest living man in the world is Sultan Kösen from Turkey. He is 251 cm tall and, as in the case of Robert Wadlow, was diagnosed with a tumor of the pituitary gland. Fortunately, a few years ago Kösen underwent a novel therapy that inhibits the secretion of growth hormone and finally stopped growing.

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