Gigantism is a disorder caused by excess of insulin like growth factor in the childhood during the stage when the epiphyseal plates are kept open. This term is commonly referred to any excess or abnormal growth in height above the standard norms related to the individual’s age and sex.
Acromegaly and Gigantism :
Acromegaly and gigantism are one and the same and both are caused by excess of insulin like growth factor in the body. But in acromegaly this growth factor is present in excess after the fusion of cartilage plates in adulthood. Both these disorders are placed under the heading of IGF-1 hyper-secretion. In both the cases there are manifestations of excessive growth with respect to height due to excessive bone growth.
In gigantism excess of growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland which continues its production even during adulthood. This causes heightened development of bones of face, hands and feet thus projecting giant like structure. If not treated in time, acromegaly can cause serious complications in future. Acromegaly disorder occurs after the normal bone growth stops and it is mostly present in adulthood. But gigantism is observed in childhood when the bony plates have not closed properly. Both these disorders are very rare and occur in 50 out of one million people. The characteristic features of gigantism are observed during puberty but in rare cases it is seen in young children also.
Causes :
The major cause of gigantism is excess of hormone secretion by the pituitary gland. Pituitary gland is vital for normal functioning of many organs in your body and it controls important metabolism like growth and reproductive function. Pituitary gland receives signal from the hypothalamus of the brain to secrete or stop growth hormone and thus the discharge of hormone stays in control. But under certain circumstances, pituitary gland automatically produces excess of growth hormone which in turn directs too much of production of insulin like growth factor (IGF) leading to excess of bone development causing gigantism.