Gigantism

Question: Island dwarfism and gigantism: why these phenomenons can both exist in the same habitat? Dwarf elephants in Sicily and Crete, and the 3 metres high Moa birds in New Zealand. Komodo dragon from Timor, and the little Honshū Wolf in Japan. Opposite phenomenons on islands. Why this can happen?

Answer: well with the komodo dragon it became the top predator on the island so it was in its advantage to become bigger dwarfism is to do with the environments usually less nutritious and available food resources and because there trapped on the island they have to adapt to the changes as opposed to migrating on continents . .

Question: Do you agree with gigantism or pituitary tumor? I keep coming back to gigantism, but really think tumor. Increase in Growth Hormone, decrease in Thyroid, cortisone and testerone. Any thoughts?

Answer: Gigantism can be caused by a tumor. It may increase growth hormone but not enough to have the symptoms associated with giantism. Hypo in other hormones can happen as the tumor damages other parts of the pituitary. If this is the case with your labs you should see a good pituitary endocrinologist.

Question: Does acromegaly or gigantism lead to penile enlargement? Acquired or congenital excess of growth hormone leads to enlargement of tissue. Does this mean that penis size is also augmented?

Answer: mostly bones, not all types of tissue... they don't have huge muscles, just large statures because of bone growth

Question: How did robert wadlow grow was it human growth hormone or Pituitary Gigantism or Acromegaly please? please i want to know so badly

Answer: Those are really all the same things, however, in his case it was the Pituitary producing too much growth hormone. Acromegaly usually occurs in middle age.

Question: I have gigantism and I never stop growin, isnt growth based on genetics? I always grow 3 inches ever since I was 8 years. Now Im 6'8 and I weigh 265 lbs caus of my big ass bones. Im now 14 and Im definitely trying out for basketball even though I suck because size matters after all such as dunking and trucking. But iam worried and I want to stop growing. Why is life like this? Short people want to be tall and tall people want to be short. Fat people want to be thin and thin people want to be fat. Life sucks.

Answer: Gigantism or acromegaly is caused by a benign tumor pressing against the adrenal gland causing it to secrete growth hormones which results in unchecked growth. If your family has a history of being normal sized and you are the only one that is as tall as you are, I would certainly have it investigated medically.

Question: Is there such thing as a corrective measure to be taken against gigantism? C'mon, people, I lost 5 points asking this question, please if you're not going to give a serious answer don't answer at all. PLEASE. (I'm going to report everyone who pisses me off with a smart-butt answer) Ok, just tell me where I can get the medicine to stop growing and I'll give you ten points.

Answer: Gigantism is caused by an overproduction of HGH (human growth hormone) in an adult. It is much less common than the other extreme, where there is too little HGH. HGH is produced by the pituitary gland which can be easily ablated with a course of highly focused radiation. The problem with pituitary abaltion is that the gland is also responsible for production of a host of other hormones in the body. Once the gland is ablated,a patient would require very close medical supervision for hormone replacement.

Question: Did Andre the Giant have gigantism or acromegaly? I've spent the day randomly looking at stuff on the internet. for some reason andre the giant popped into my head. I've checked a bunch of websites and they all say one of those two... which one's true?

Answer: Andre had Acromegaly,a syndrome that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone which makes the body continue to keep growing after puberty. There is a surgery to fix it but Andre never did it

Question: What is the difference between acromegaly and gigantism? its for a school report

Answer: Both are states of elevated growth hormone Really in giganticism, growth plates haven't fused (i.e bones can still grow), and bones/tissues grow and grow and grow taller. This is quite rare as the growth hormone abnormality needs to start occurring early in life. Acromegaly occurs when growth plates are fused, and people tend to grow more wide. People with acromegaly complain their face looks different, their hat size increased, and their handshake is bigger.

Question: When do signs of gigantism start to show (URGENT)?

Answer: when your hair doesnt cover all your head

Question: is the diesese gigantism a dominant or recessive gene? ive looked everywhere i dont know or have any clue help!

Answer: Gigantism has many causes. Some of them are genetic: Marfan syndrome is an uncommon genetic disease due to an inherited defect of connective tissue. In addition to moderate tallness, persons with this condition usually have a slender body build with unusually long fingers (arachnodactyly). Many can also develop a dislocaton of the lens of the eye or, more seriously, a progressive deterioration of the walls of the aorta which can result in sudden death in adulthood. It is usually inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Sotos syndrome resembles acromegaly in its mild distortion of facial growth. In addition to tallness, the chief characteristics are large head size, slow development, and autosomal-dominant inheritance.

Question: Are people who suffer from gigantism often mentally challenged? Yesterday, I heard on television a story of a 2,52m giant, and they told he had mental limitations due to his disease. Is this always (or most always) the case with people who suffer from gigantism?

Answer: Here is an actual medical website we used in college: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/… This is pretty good description of the most common type of 'giant' although there are several conditions that lead to gigantism. There is nothing tied DIRECTLY to decreased IQ correlated to this condition, but there are well documented cases that physicians conclude was a result of the pituitary gland. Here is one way to think of it...the gigantism results from a problem with the pituitary gland in the brain, which is also in charge of releasing the hormones responsible for the development of the body during puberty etc., so its definitely sensible to think there would be a relation. Andre the Giant (wrestling, The Princess Bride) was a pretty smart guy. Hope this help!

Question: Who is the tallest person without gigantism?

Answer: Bao Xishun is officially recognized by the Guinness book of records as the worlds tallest man. He stands at 7 ft 9 in. However there is a contended to this crown a man name Zhao Liang is believed to be 8 ft 1 in. He will officially be measured by the Guinness book or records later in the year.

Question: Gigantism is a disease that occurs when the body produces too much of what hormone?

Answer: The sustance is know as Human Growth Hormone and is produced by the pituitary gland. It's chemical name is Somatotropin. It is classfied as single-chain Polypeptide Hormone.

Question: It is a fast growth disease that is not gigantism. for every year my school mate becomes 7 years older.? waht is this disease that makes a child become 7 years older than his present age every year?

Answer: Progeria is a disease that produces rapid aging, beginning in childhood.

Question: Could this be a mild form of gigantism? I've heard of people who won't stop growing even after puberty, and they reach great heights, literally, like over 7 ft and keep growing. I was just watching this show on this Chinese 37 y/o woman with the condition and she is 7'8 and STILL GROWING!! Ok well dont laugh but I'm 24 and starting to get worried that maybe I have a small form of it. The reason for gigantism is a tumor in the brain is pressing on the pituitary gland, the gland which activates growth hormone, causing the body to continuously grow in size. I know this sounds ridiculous but I'm worried I have it bc at 24 it seems like I might still be growing. For example, at 15 I was 5 ft, 17 I was 5'1 inches, 19-22 I was 5'2, 23 5'2 and a half, and now at 24 I was measured as 5'3 (I asked to be measured). Is this normal? I have a fear I'll keep growing an inch each year! Could that be mild gigantism? Also, my breasts are still growing it seems and I'm not gaining weight anywhere else!

Answer: There are several signs and symptoms of Gigantism. Here are the symptoms as well as the signs and tests for such. If you have few of these symptoms, I would have some medical tests done. If not, and I would think you would be taller by your present age, then I would not be worrying. Symptoms * Excessive growth during childhood. * Frontal bossing and a prominent jaw * Thickening of the facial features * Disproportionately large hands and feet with thick fingers and toes * Increased perspiration * Weakness * Secretion of breast milk * Irregular menstruation * Headache * Delayed onset of puberty * Double vision or difficulty with peripheral vision Signs and tests * An increase in insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels * A failure to suppress serum growth hormone (GH) levels after an oral glucose challenge (maximum 75g) * A CT or MRI scan of the head showing pituitary tumor * High prolactin levels

Question: my daughter has been diagnosed with Localised gigantism info plz...? I'm a bit worried about it is there any other affects this will cause her, she has it in her middle finger on her right hand, she uses it well but she may have to have surgery in the future which may restrict her use of her finger, but i am worried if this gigantism will cause any other illnesses etc, if any one knows anything or has been through this please let me know thankyou xx

Answer: Sorry to hear about this but I think you should ask a doctor to put your mind at rest or search for information on the internet so you can find out more about it