gigantism
Sign in to saveGigantism ( ; from , plural: ), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. Technically, it includes humans with height at least three standard deviations above the mean, i.e., 198 cm (6'6") for men and 183 cm (6'0") for women. This condition is caused by over-production of growth hormone in childhood.
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).complications
- Excessive sweating, delayed puberty, weakness and severe or recurrent headaches, strokes, vomiting or nausea, high fevers, daytime sleepiness or narcolepsy, dry mouth, frequent diarrheas, stomachaches, ear pains, memory loss, back pains, excessive muscle cramps, chest pains
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Hyperplasia in the pituitary gland
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- Surgically remove the enlarged pituitary gland
- Medical condition (new).medication
- Octreotide, lanreotide or pegvisomant
- Medical condition (new).image_size
- 220
- Medical condition (new).name
- Gigantism
- Medical condition (new).synonyms
- Giantism
- Medical condition (new).image
- Robert_Wadlow_postcard.jpg
- Medical condition (new).caption
- Robert Wadlow stood at . He is pictured here with his father, who was tall.
- Medical condition (new).field
- Endocrinology
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Abnormal growth in height or size, weakness and insomnia
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
11 sectionsContents
- Cause
- Hormonal cause
- Diagnostic testing
- Genetics
- Treatment
- Pharmaceuticals
- Terminology
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Gigantism ( ; from , plural: ), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. Technically, it includes humans with height at least three standard deviations above the mean, i.e., 198 cm (6'6") for men and 183 cm (6'0") for women. This condition is caused by over-production of growth hormone in childhood.
It is a rare disorder resulting from increased levels of growth hormone before the fusion of the growth plate which usually occurs at some point soon after puberty. This increase is most often due to abnormal tumor growths on the pituitary gland. Gigantism should not be confused with acromegaly, the adult form of the disorder, characterized by somatic enlargement specifically in the extremities and face.