Gigantism Detailed Information
Posted on November 6, 2008 - Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
Gigantism may begin at any age before epiphyseal fusion. The mean age for onset of acromegaly is in the third decade of life.
Gigantism is abnormally large growth due to an excess of growth hormone during childhood, before the bone growth plates have closed. Approximately 20% of patients with gigantism have MAS and may have either pituitary hyperplasia or adenomas. The most common cause of too much growth hormone release is a non-cancerous (benign) tumor of the pituitary gland. Other causes include carney complex, McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS), multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) and neurofibromatosis. If excess growth hormone occurs after normal bone growth has stopped, the condition is known as acromegaly.
