acromegalic giant what gland are involved
Acromegalic individuals and giants have been the subject of fascination for millennia. Whereas there have been a multitude of descriptions in the lay literature since the beginnings of the written word, the first scientific description was probably made by Dutch physician and occultist Johannes Wier. His medical description of a giantess was published in 1567 in the Medicarum Observationum. Further descriptions surfaced in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by Noel (1779), Saucerotte (1801), Gall (1810), and Magendie (1839). What causes gigantism? Gigantism is almost always caused by a benign adenoma in the pituitary gland. An adenoma is a non-cancerous tumour and in the case of gigantism causes secretion of too much growth hormone. Pituitary tumours can be small in size (micro-adenoma) or large (macro-adenoma). The most common cause is a benign tumor in your pituitary gland, which is located under your brain. This tumor is not cancer. Because of the tumor, your body makes too much growth hormone. Once in a while, tumors in the pancreas, liver, or parts of the brain can cause high levels of growth hormone. That leads to higher levels of another hormone, called insulin-like growth hormone, which causes the symptoms you see. When you have acromegaly, your body makes too much growth hormone. This makes parts of your body -- like your hands, feet, and face -- grow too much. It also affects your heart and bones. There are treatments for acromegaly, and every case is different. Evidence for a pituitary cause of gigantism was supported by Hutchinson's pathological descriptions of a French giantess known as Lady Aama (Fig. 3). She died at the age of 18 years and stood 6 feet, 7.75 in tall. 1 It is produced by the pituitary gland, a tiny organ at the base of the brain. 2  Growth hormone promotes growth of bone, cartilage, muscle, organs, and other tissues. 3  When there is too much growth hormone in the body, these tissues grow larger than normal. Alternative names for gigantism Pituitary giant; acromegaly of childhood-onset. What is gigantism? Growth during childhood is controlled by the secretion of growth hormone into the bloodstream from the pituitary gland. 1 The hormone most often affected is called growth hormone, or GH. 2  It is produced by the pituitary gland, a tiny organ at the base of the brain. 3  Growth hormone promotes growth of bone, cartilage, muscle, organs, and other tissues. 4  When there is too much growth hormone in the body, these tissues grow larger than normal. Print | Email article to a friend | Last updated: January 30, 2015. Gigantism is a rare condition of accelerated growth and increased height as a result of too much growth hormone secretion during childhood or adolescence. It is almost always the result of a growth hormone secreting pituitary tumour. Multiple autopsy findings revealed a consistent correlation between acromegaly and pituitary enlargement. In 1909, Harvey Cushing postulated a hormone of growth as the underlying pathophysiological trigger involved in pituitary hypersecretion in patients with acromegaly.
Pituitary gland