MEDICAL BIOLOGY, HUMAN ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY - Ya.I. Fedonyuk 2010

ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, PATHOLOGY

SECTION 3. ANATOMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF BODY FUNCTION SELF-REGULATION

ENDOCRINE GLANDS AND THEIR PATHOLOGY

PITUITARY GLAND

2. ADENOHYPOPHYSIS PATHOLOGY

2.2. GIGANTISM

Gigantism is characterized by accelerated, proportional growth in adolescents, i.e., individuals whose physiological growth is not yet complete. In this condition, height exceeds the upper limit of normal for a given sex and age. A height exceeding 200 cm in men and 190 cm in women is considered pathological.

Similar to acromegaly, the primary cause of gigantism is an acidophilic Adenoma of the Pituitary Gland that secretes an excess of somatotropin. This leads to excessive, proportional longitudinal bone growth, as epiphyseal Cartilage ossification is incomplete during adolescence. Over the years, signs of skeletal disproportion appear (long limbs, short torso, and a reduced HEAD size). The stimulating effect of somatotropin also extends to soft Tissues and Internal Organs, resulting in tissue HYPERTROPHY AND HYPERPLASIA, as well as splanchnomegaly.



Last update: 08/08/2026

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