A large number of growth hormone in children and adolescents lead to the fact that their growth begins to quickly increase and reaches truly huge sizes. This disease is called giantism. Detailed information about giantism read in the article.
Content
Gigantism - a disease in which increased production of somatotropin (growth hormone) is observed, which in turn leads to an excessive proportional growth of limbs and torso. In men with this disease, growth exceeds 200 cm, and in women - 190 cm. More often observed in men aged 7-13 years (adolescence) or during puberty and continues during the entire period of physiological growth. The magnitude of the growth of the child and the growth rate exceeds the norms of this age and gender.
Giantism should not be confused with high growth. Parents of persons suffering from this disease predominantly normal growth.
The basis of the emergence of giantism is the increased production of growth hormone, which can develop with the following violations:
- pituitary tumors (most often adenoma),
- Infectious diseases of the central nervous system, such as meningitis, encephalitis, meningoencephalitis,
- brain-brain injuries.
The disease is manifested by a rather standard set of manifestations:
- high growth,
- Great speed of growth,
- weakness,
- fast fatiguability,
- Reducing performance and academic performance,
- headaches,
- Dizziness,
- Pain in the limbs,
- worsening vision.
Despite the high growth, patients with gigantism do not differ in great physical strength. Rather, on the contrary, it is somewhat lower than in healthy people.
Often in patients with giantism there is a delay in sexual development, disorders from the thyroid and pancreas. Pronounced disorders of other endocrine glands and internal organs are not marked.
The disease is usually evolving until the human body will no longer grow. If by that time the pituitary does not cease to produce a large number of hormones, then the person in addition to giantism develops acromegaly.
Today, the treatment of giantism is carried out in two ways. The first and most reliable is an operation to remove the pituitary tumor. In this case, the amount of blood growth hormone falls by itself. Another disease treatment option - special preparations that slow down the production of growth hormone. They have to be used for a long time.
