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Sub-Category:

Gigantism

Specialty: Pediatrics

Category: Growth and Development Disorders

Sub-category: Excessive Growth Disorders

Symptoms:
abnormally rapid growth; excessively tall stature; enlarged hands and feet; facial changes; joint pain; delayed puberty; headaches

Root Cause:
Excessive secretion of growth hormone, usually due to a pituitary adenoma.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Growth chart analysis, blood tests for insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and growth hormone, MRI of the brain to detect pituitary tumors.

Treatment:
Surgery to remove the pituitary adenoma, medication to suppress growth hormone (e.g., somatostatin analogs), or radiation therapy if surgery is not curative.

Medications:
Somatostatin analogs (e.g., octreotide ), dopamine agonists (e.g., cabergoline ), and growth hormone receptor antagonists (e.g., pegvisomant ). These medications are hormone regulators.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Extremely rare; affects fewer than 1 in 10,000,000 children.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Family history of pituitary tumors or genetic syndromes like multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1).

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Good if treated early; untreated cases can result in severe complications.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Diabetes, cardiomegaly, joint problems, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.