Gigantism

Table 4Kevin Knox, Kaley Miller, Hailey Ray, Ashley Spaulding

Symptoms

•Pretty big people (usually two standard deviations above normal height should be)

•Delayed puberty•Double vision or difficulty

with side vision

•Headaches•Increased sweating•Irregular periods

(females)•Large hands and feet

with large fingers and toes

•Release of breast milk•Thickening of facial

features•Weakness•Bulging forehead

Causes•***Excess of growth

hormone ***(Acromegaly)

•Most commonly: Noncancerous(adenoma) tumor of the pituitary gland

•Carney complex

•Medications that reduce growth hormone release such as somatostain analogs

•Dopamine aganoists but they are the least effective

Possible solutions

Radiation therapy can be used to bring the growth hormone level back to normal but it take 5 to 10 years to take full effect and often effects other pituitary hormones

•Removal of tumor on pituitary through endonasal surgery (through nose)

Exams and Tests

•CT or MRI scans•Failure to suppress serum growth

hormone (GH) levels after an oral glucose challenge (maximum 75g)

•High prolactin levels•Increased insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I)

levels

Miscellaneous

•Female to male ratio of 1:2 (twice as common in males)

•Commonly occurs with Acromegaly •App