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Gigantism - Symptom

Alternative Names

Giantism

Symptoms:

The child will grow in height, as well as in the muscles and organs. This excessive growth makes the child extremely large for his or her age.

Other symptoms include:

Delayed puberty
Double vision or difficulty with side (peripheral) vision
Frontal bossing and a prominent jaw
Headache
Increased sweating
Irregular periods (menstruation)
Large hands and feet with thick fingers and toes
Release of breast milk
Thickening of the facial features
Weakness

Signs and tests:

CT or MRI scan of the head showing pituitary tumor
Failure to suppress serum growth hormone (GH) levels after an oral glucose challenge (maximum 75g)
High prolactin levels
Increased insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels

Damage to the pituitary may lead to low levels of other hormones, including:

Cortisol
Estradiol (girls)
Testosterone (boys)
Thyroid hormone

Endocrine glands

Reviewed last on: 11/23/2009
Ari S. Eckman, MD, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Melmed S, Kleinberg D. Anterior pituitary. In: Kronenberg HM, Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 8.

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