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Home :: Family Health :: Gigantism Gigantism - Gigantism symptom, treatment, causes
Gigantism occurs due to the abnormal and excessive growth during childhood or adolescence, especially in height, as a result of over production of growth hormone by the pituitary gland. The excessive growth hormone is almost always produced by a benign tumour of the pituitary gland.
Gigantism is suspected when a child or adolescent begins to grow at a much more rapid rate than his or her peers. The diagnosis is confirmed by finding excessive amounts of growth hormone in the blood, and the tumour can be detected by a CAT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Gigantism is treated either with the drug bromocriptine (which blocks the release of the growth hormone and may cause the tumour to shrink) or, more commonly, by surgery or radio therapy to remove or destroy the tumour.
Gigantism is an excessive secretion of growth hormone during childhood, before the closure of the bone growth plates. Gigantism is suspected when a child or adolescent begins to grow at a much more rapid rate than his or her peers. The cause of excess growth hormone secretion is most often a benign pituitary gland tumor. Gigantism may also be caused by an underlying medical condition such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type1, McCune-Albright syndrome, neurofibromatosis, or Carney complex. Gigantism may begin at any age before epiphyseal fusion. Gigantism refers to excessive growth in stature during childhood and adolesence, caused by excessive growth hormone. Affected children are much taller than expected for their age. Without treatment, such children eventually develop acromegaly in addituion to their gigantism. Gigantism is treated either with the drug bromocriptine (which blocks the release of the growth hormone and may cause the tumour to shrink) or, more commonly, by surgery or radio therapy to remove or destroy the tumour.
Causes of Gigantism
The common causes and risk factor's of Gigantism include the following:
- A pituitary gland tumor.
- An underlying medical condition such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type1, McCune-Albright syndrome, neurofibromatosis, or Carney complex.
Symptoms of Gigantism
Some sign and symptoms related to Gigantism are as follows:
- Excessive growth during childhood.
- Irregular menstruation.
- Thickening of the facial features.
- Increased perspiration.
- Headache.
- Weakness.
- Secretion of breast milk.
Treatment of Gigantism
Here is list of the methods for treating Gigantism:
- In pituitary tumors with well-defined borders, surgery is the treatment of choice and is curative is about 80% of cases.
- For situations in which surgery cannot completely remove the tumor, medication is the treatment of choice. The most effective medications are somatostatin analogs, which reduce growth hormone secretion.
- Radiation therapy has also been used to normalize growth hormone levels.
- Dopamine agonists (bromocriptine mesylate, cabergoline) have also been used to reduce growth hormone secretion, but these are generally less effective.
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