How does gigantism occur?

Gigantism is a serious condition that is nearly always caused by an adenoma, a tumor of the pituitary gland. Gigantism occurs in patients who had excessive growth hormone in childhood. The pituitary tumor cells secrete too much growth hormone (GH), leading to many changes in the body.

What is the most common cause of gigantism?

Gigantism is most often caused by a benign tumor on the pituitary gland called a pituitary adenoma. However, it can also be caused by the following disorders: Neurofibromatosis.

What is gigantism dwarfism and acromegaly?

Growth hormone (GH) hypersecretion results in gigantism or acromegaly, a condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality, while GH deficiency results in dwarfism, growth retardation in children, and the GH-deficiency syndrome in adults.

What happens if the growth hormones are secreted excess in quantity?

What happens if I have too much growth hormone? Not surprisingly, too much growth hormone causes too much growth. In adults, excessive growth hormone for a long period of time produces a condition known as acromegaly, in which patients have swelling of the hands and feet and altered facial features.

How do you identify gigantism?

What are the signs and symptoms of gigantism?

1. tall stature, above the expected average for their age.
2. coarse facial features such as prominent foreheads and jaws.
3. large hands and feet with thickening of the fingers and toes.
4. excessive sweating.
5. aches and pains in the joints, carpal tunnel syndrome.
6. soft tissue swelling.

What are the risk factors of gigantism?

The main risk factor for gigantism is having a parent or sibling with gigantism….Medical treatments of gigantism

• Dopamine agonists, such as bromocriptine mesylate (Cycloset, Parlodel) and cabergoline (Dostinex), which reduce.
• GH releaseGH antagonist, pegvisomant (Somavert), which blocks the effects of GH.

What is the effect of hormonal imbalance in gigantism?

Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that develops when your pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone during adulthood. When you have too much growth hormone, your bones increase in size. In childhood, this leads to increased height and is called gigantism.

What is the effect of dwarfism in hormonal imbalance?

Pituitary dwarfism, or growth hormone deficiency, is a condition in which the pituitary gland does not make enough growth hormone. This results in a child’s slow growth pattern and an unusually small stature (below average height).

What does acromegaly and gigantism have in common?

Gigantism and acromegaly are syndromes of excessive secretion of growth hormone (hypersomatotropism) that are nearly always due to a pituitary adenoma. Before closure of the epiphyses, the result is gigantism. Later, the result is acromegaly, which causes distinctive facial and other features.

Why does excess secretion of growth hormone in childhood produce gigantism?

If excessive production of growth hormone starts in childhood before the growth plates of the bones (the area at the ends of bones from which bone growth occurs) have closed, the condition causes gigantism. The long bones grow enormously. A person grows to unusually great stature, and the arms and legs lengthen.

What is the excess secretion of growth hormone that causes acromegaly and gigantism?

Acromegaly and gigantism are due to oversecretion of growth hormone. The most common cause is a GH secreting pituitary adenoma. Rarely, ectopic GH secretion or excess secretion of GHRH may be the cause.

What causes a child to grow too fast?

Most children with gigantism have too much growth hormone, which makes them grow too much, too fast. Gigantism is almost always caused by a benign tumour, also known as an adenoma, growing in the pituitary gland.

What is the average lifespan of someone with dwarfism?

Primordial Dwarfism Life Expectancy. The life expectancy for individuals with this condition is approximately 30 years. The low lifespan of such people is due to the fact that it is frequently accompanied by medical complications like vascular disorders.

Is dwarfism considered a disease?

Dwarfism itself is not a disease and, as a result, it has no single medical definition. Different organizations define dwarfism according to various criteria. The advocacy group, Little People of America, define dwarfism as a condition that results in an adult height of less than 4 foot 10 inches.

What are the signs and symptoms of gigantism?

Gigantism Symptoms. The child born with gigantism will be excessively tall and obese.

Gigantism Causes. Gigantism is caused due to the excessive secretion of growth hormone IGF (insulin like growth factor).

Complications.

Diagnosis.

Images,Pics,Photos and Pictures of Gigantism

Treatment.

What is the prognosis of gigantism?

Early diagnosis of gigantism is important for the child’s health and well-being. The condition is treatable by removing the tumor, but once the growth has occurred the child is not going to shrink back to an average height. For this reason, the earlier the condition is treated, the better the outcome is for the child.