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Thyroid Test to diagnose pituitory gland malfunction??
Hello guys. I am 17 now and tallest guy in my class. My height is 6 foot 1 inch (186 cms), which is too much for my age. I wanted to know if theres sumthing wrong with me. I heard about gigantism in which people grow upto 8 ft tall, which is because of pituitory gland malfunction, producing too much growth hormone. I recently had Testosterone and thyroid tests done, which came out to be absolutely normal. But no tests were given for Growth Hormone. My concern is if testosterone and thyroid tests suffient to diagnose gigantism?? Is there any relationship between Testosterone, Thyroid and Growth Hormone?? Is my pituitory gland alright? Am I normal?
I did some searching on the subject and found this.
"Young males typically begin puberty between the ages of 9 and 16, and it can last anywhere from two to five years. The age of onset is not a reliable indicator of the duration of puberty or a person's final height, which depends on when the epiphyseal growth plates close. This usually occurs near the end of puberty. At this point, the bones stop lengthening and men reach their full height."
Also read elsewhere that males usually stop growing at 18 years of age.
"Young males typically begin puberty between the ages of 9 and 16, and it can last anywhere from two to five years. The age of onset is not a reliable indicator of the duration of puberty or a person's final height, which depends on when the epiphyseal growth plates close. This usually occurs near the end of puberty. At this point, the bones stop lengthening and men reach their full height."
Also read elsewhere that males usually stop growing at 18 years of age.
None of my family member is as tall as me. I am the tallest among all.
Can anyone tell me by what age will my growth stop?
Do boys grow after 18 years of age??
Can anyone tell me by what age will my growth stop?
Do boys grow after 18 years of age??
I agree that at the age of 17 it is a bit unusual for you to be 7 inches taller than your father and 9 inches taller than your mother. Is there anyone in your immediate family, say grandparents or aunts and uncles who are tall like you are?
No need to be scared. If needed there are several tests that can confirm or rule out the possibility of a growth hormone problem.
No need to be scared. If needed there are several tests that can confirm or rule out the possibility of a growth hormone problem.
Everyone in my class is like 5ft 4in to 5ft 10in tall. Nobody is as tall as me. My father's height is 5' 6" and that of my mother is 5'4". This kinda makes me feel scared.
Why do you think that 6 foot 1 inch is too much for your 17 years of age? How much larger are you compared to others in your class? How tall are your mother and father?
I did some looking around and found this type of info on gigantism.
"What is Gigantism?
Gigantism is a rare condition that causes abnormal growth in children. It occurs when a child’s body produces too much growth hormone. Early diagnosis is important. Prompt treatment can stop or slow the changes that may cause a child to grow larger than normal. However, the condition can be hard for parents to detect, since symptoms of gigantism might first be seen as normal childhood growth spurts.
Part 2 of 6: Causes
What Causes Gigantism?
A pituitary gland tumor is almost always the cause of gigantism. The pea-sized pituitary gland—located at the base of your brain—makes hormones that control many functions in your body. Some tasks managed by the gland include temperature control, sexual development, growth metabolism, and urine production. When a tumor grows on the pituitary gland, the gland makes more growth hormone than the body needs. Other less common causes of gigantism may include:
McCune-Albright syndrome: a disease that causes abnormal growth in bone tissue, patches of light-brown skin, and gland abnormalities
Carney complex: an inherited condition that causes non-cancerous tumors on the connective tissue, cancerous or non-cancerous endocrine tumors, and spots of darker skin
multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1: an inherited disorder that causes tumors in the pituitary gland, pancreas, or parathyroid glands
neurofibromatosis: an inherited disorder that causes tumors in the nervous system
Part 3 of 6: Symptoms
Recognizing the Signs of Gigantism
If your child has gigantism, you may notice that he or she is much larger than other children of the same age. Also, some parts of the body may be larger in proportion to other parts. Common symptoms include very large hands and feet, a thickening of toes and fingers, a prominent jaw and forehead, and coarse facial features. Children with gigantism may also have flat noses and large heads, lips, or tongues. The symptoms your child experiences may depend on the size of the pituitary gland tumor. As the tumor grows, it may press on nerves in the brain. Many people experience headaches, vision problems, or nausea from tumors. Other symptoms of gigantism may include:
excessive sweating
weakness
delayed puberty in both boys and girls
irregular menstrual periods in girls
deafness
Part 4 of 6: Diagnosis
How is Gigantism Diagnosed?
If your child’s doctor suspects gigantism, he or she may recommend a blood test to measure levels of growth hormones and an insulin-like growth factor (called IGF-1), which is a hormone produced by the liver. The doctor also may recommend an oral glucose tolerance test. For this test, your child will drink a special beverage containing glucose, a type of sugar. Blood samples will be taken before and after your child drinks the beverage. In a normal body, growth hormone levels will drop after eating or drinking glucose. If your child’s levels remain the same, it means his or her body is producing too much growth hormone. If the blood tests indicate a pituitary gland tumor, your child will need a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the gland. Doctors use the scan to see the size and position of the tumor."
After reading the above, if you still are concerned, then you should get your doctor to run the additional tests listed, because those testosterone and thyroid tests apparently will neither confirm nor rule it out.
I did some looking around and found this type of info on gigantism.
"What is Gigantism?
Gigantism is a rare condition that causes abnormal growth in children. It occurs when a child’s body produces too much growth hormone. Early diagnosis is important. Prompt treatment can stop or slow the changes that may cause a child to grow larger than normal. However, the condition can be hard for parents to detect, since symptoms of gigantism might first be seen as normal childhood growth spurts.
Part 2 of 6: Causes
What Causes Gigantism?
A pituitary gland tumor is almost always the cause of gigantism. The pea-sized pituitary gland—located at the base of your brain—makes hormones that control many functions in your body. Some tasks managed by the gland include temperature control, sexual development, growth metabolism, and urine production. When a tumor grows on the pituitary gland, the gland makes more growth hormone than the body needs. Other less common causes of gigantism may include:
McCune-Albright syndrome: a disease that causes abnormal growth in bone tissue, patches of light-brown skin, and gland abnormalities
Carney complex: an inherited condition that causes non-cancerous tumors on the connective tissue, cancerous or non-cancerous endocrine tumors, and spots of darker skin
multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1: an inherited disorder that causes tumors in the pituitary gland, pancreas, or parathyroid glands
neurofibromatosis: an inherited disorder that causes tumors in the nervous system
Part 3 of 6: Symptoms
Recognizing the Signs of Gigantism
If your child has gigantism, you may notice that he or she is much larger than other children of the same age. Also, some parts of the body may be larger in proportion to other parts. Common symptoms include very large hands and feet, a thickening of toes and fingers, a prominent jaw and forehead, and coarse facial features. Children with gigantism may also have flat noses and large heads, lips, or tongues. The symptoms your child experiences may depend on the size of the pituitary gland tumor. As the tumor grows, it may press on nerves in the brain. Many people experience headaches, vision problems, or nausea from tumors. Other symptoms of gigantism may include:
excessive sweating
weakness
delayed puberty in both boys and girls
irregular menstrual periods in girls
deafness
Part 4 of 6: Diagnosis
How is Gigantism Diagnosed?
If your child’s doctor suspects gigantism, he or she may recommend a blood test to measure levels of growth hormones and an insulin-like growth factor (called IGF-1), which is a hormone produced by the liver. The doctor also may recommend an oral glucose tolerance test. For this test, your child will drink a special beverage containing glucose, a type of sugar. Blood samples will be taken before and after your child drinks the beverage. In a normal body, growth hormone levels will drop after eating or drinking glucose. If your child’s levels remain the same, it means his or her body is producing too much growth hormone. If the blood tests indicate a pituitary gland tumor, your child will need a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the gland. Doctors use the scan to see the size and position of the tumor."
After reading the above, if you still are concerned, then you should get your doctor to run the additional tests listed, because those testosterone and thyroid tests apparently will neither confirm nor rule it out.
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