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Do I have a pituitary tumour/malfunction?? Do I have Gigantism? Please help!
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?
P.S.- For how long will I continue to grow?
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?
P.S.- For how long will I continue to grow?
Those tests are NOT sufficient for growth hormone - those tests are GH (growth hormone) and IGF-1 (which is the derivative hormone that that body actually uses).
TSH is a pituitary hormone but often doctors will say it is normal and it is not. There can be a relationship, but I know more about low GH than elevated GH throwing things off frankly (sorry, I have low GH, not high).
Now, being tall itself is not always a GH issue - it can be just... growth! Usually if you have a GH issue aka acromegaly, you have growth everywhere - jaw, hands, feet, head etc. so your dentist will note your teeth spreading. Your shoe size will change all the time, you will need new gloves, your cheekbones will grow etc.
At 17, you may be still where your growth plates are open... so you can get taller for a bit more. But unless you have other symptoms, you may be just fine - just tall.
TSH is a pituitary hormone but often doctors will say it is normal and it is not. There can be a relationship, but I know more about low GH than elevated GH throwing things off frankly (sorry, I have low GH, not high).
Now, being tall itself is not always a GH issue - it can be just... growth! Usually if you have a GH issue aka acromegaly, you have growth everywhere - jaw, hands, feet, head etc. so your dentist will note your teeth spreading. Your shoe size will change all the time, you will need new gloves, your cheekbones will grow etc.
At 17, you may be still where your growth plates are open... so you can get taller for a bit more. But unless you have other symptoms, you may be just fine - just tall.
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