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Review

Pituitary Gigantism

In: Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000.
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Review

Pituitary Gigantism

Minu M. George et al.
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Excerpt

Pituitary gigantism in a child is an extraordinarily rare condition that results from excessive production of growth hormone. It can present as early as infancy or not until adolescence. It may be congenital or acquired, occurring as a sporadic condition or in the context of a known syndrome in which hypersecretion of GH is a feature. Conditions in which GH excess occurs include Neurofibromatosis Type 1, McCune-Albright syndrome, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1, Carney Complex, Isolated Familial Somatotropinomas, and X-Linked Acrogigantism. Therapeutic modalities for the treatment of pituitary gigantism are the same as those for acromegaly (adult-onset GH excess) and include surgery, medication, and radiation. Great strides have been made in identification of the molecular genetic basis for pituitary gigantism, affording novel insights into the mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal growth. Etiologies, phenotypic features, and diagnostic and treatment considerations are reviewed in this chapter. For complete coverage of all related areas of Endocrinology, please visit our on-line FREE web-text, WWW.ENDOTEXT.ORG.

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