My child appears too tall for his age, which diseases may cause this?

Gigantism is a condition where a child is too tall for his age. The condition is due to an excess of the Growth Hormone.

What is the cause of Gigantism?

Gigantism is caused when the pituitary gland in the brain releases too much Growth Hormone. While the condition is extremely rare, this patient guide helps you figure out what you can do.

How tall ?

The child's height should be 3 standard deviations above the normal height for his or her age.

What other signs may be seen?

Gigantism shows many other symptoms like skin color changes (cafe au lait spots). There is also evidence of neurofibromas - a condition where there are small masses in different parts of the body, including inside the brain, or eyes.

How to diagnose this?

The diagnosis is made with blood tests and MRI of the brain.

IGF-1 level

This is the primary screening test. A normal or below normal value will completely rule out the possibility of GIgantism.

GH suppression test

A reduction of the level of Growth Hormone below 1mcg, 2 hours after consuming 75 grams of glucose is considered to rule out Gigantism.

MRI Brain

An MRI of the brain can be done to check for growth inside the pituitary gland which is actuall called a pituitary adenoma. Its size is usuall > 1cm and hard to miss by an experienced radiologist.

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