Gigansim starting in my 3.8 year old?

Hello,
i have a 3year 8 month old boy who now measures 116 cm or 3.91 inches.  He has always been in the 95% percentile for height but now he is off the charts.  Should i be worried?

Thank you!

[lianabanana]

oops! i meant to type Gigantism.

[AnnieBrooke]

Does gigantism run in your family such that you would be hypervigilant about it?  116 cm is 45.67 inches tall, and although it is maybe just under 10% taller than the average for his age, I wouldn't necessarily read it as an indicator of gigantism.  Mention your concerns to the doctor at your son's well-child checkup when he turns 4 and see if the doctor is concerned in any way.  

[lianabanana]

Hi Annie,
No gigantism does not run in my family. What has me concerned is his accelerated growth rate (at least that how it appears to me). I would not say that he is just 10% taller than the average his age, but statistically 5 standard deviations above the average height compared to age-matched peers.  This is extremely rare.  So I suspect something wrong with his pituitary, not necessary a genetic disorder but perhaps a growth on this gland?

[mamawith2girls]

Hi! Do you have his height records since birth? How has he plotted over time? Has he always been big since birth? What is his weight? How has that tracked over time? Have you see a large jump in centiles over a short period of time?

If he is truly 5 standard deviations from the mean, I would think it is your physician's duty to look into this further. 2 standard deviations warrants a closer look in my opinion. Short stature is defined as 2 standard deviations below the mean, as in my daughter's case. People with gigantism are usually above 3 standard deviations. If you look at the following link,( http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/HFA_boys_2_5_zscores.pdf)  your son is actually only a little above 3 standard deviations, however, it definitely warrants a serious discussion with his pediatrican regarding the answers to the above questions, and then depending on the answers and your instincts, a referral to a pediatric endocrinologist may be in order. There are characteristics of gigantism that you may want to look for, but keep in mind that there are several other possibilities for his increased growth, including several syndromes and also a completely safe variation of normal and tall. Good luck! (((HUGS)))

[lianabanana]

hi,
Thank you all.  His dr.'s appt. is tomorrow.  i will keep you posted!