Growing to be a tall person is always considered as an advantage. But, growing excessively tall may be a matter of concern. However, it is not commonly reported but it can occur in a person due to various syndromes. It is important to seek medical help immediately if you notice abnormal growth in your or your child’s body. A positive diagnosis through an X-ray examination of the bones of the skull as well as blood and urine tests can help you combat the excessive height growth disorder in a child. Excessive Height Growth Disorder or tall stature syndromes are very rare than conditions resulting in short stature. This condition is defined as excessive height growth of two standard deviations above the mean for the person’s gender and age. This disorder may be related to a family history of tallness.
Untreated, excessive height growth disorder will not only deform your features, you can even die later because of it. Production of too much growth hormone causes the internal organs to expand and this could lead to complicated health issues like hypertension, high blood cholesterol levels, heart disease, impotence, diabetes and eye problems.
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The most common causes of Excessive Height Growth Disorder are:
Familial (Constitutional)
It is a condition that more commonly occurs among the family members rather than the expected by chance alone. It may occur due to genetic factor (such as tall stature) or environmental (like chicken pox). If both the parents are tall then it is quite possible for the child to have excessive height growth disorder.
Klinefelter Syndrome
It is also known as XXY genotype syndrome. Usually, human males have one X and one Y chromosome whereas, females are characterized by two X chromosomes. But, males with Klinefelter Syndrome has an extra X chromosome making it two X chromosomes in their body. It is one of the most common sex disorders found in males and the presences of an extra X chromosomes leads to height growth disorders. Hypogonadism and reduced fertility are the most common symptoms of this syndrome. It also results in physical problems and behavioral difficulties in the person. Males with this syndrome grow to be a tall thin, and have feminine body build, and small testicles. As a group, they are often characterized with a lower IQ level. It is named after Dr. Harry Klinefelter who identified it first in 1942.
Cerebral Gigantism (Sotos Syndrome)
This is a rare genetic disorder characterized by rapid physical growth in an infant. It is also characterized by nonprogressive neurological disorders like (autism), mild mental retardation, delayed motor, cognitive, and social development, hypotonia (low muscle tone), and speech impairments. The children with this syndrome are born with a large body and they tend to grow above the 97th percentile in height being often taller heavier, and have comparatively large skulls compared to other children of their age. The metal IQ of this group falls between the mild and moderate retardation range.
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Human growth hormone (HGH) is an important hormone that facilitates proper body growth and development. But, when the amount of growth inside the body surpasses the required level, it may well lead to excessive height growth, aging, wrinkled skin, bone thickness, excess weight gain, acne, lower sexual stamina, and loss of lean muscular tissues. Release of excess growth hormone is directly related to a pituitary adenoma. Too much growth hormone emission may be an isolated occurrence, but is also seen in union with several endocrine adenomatosis-1, McCune Albright Syndrome, neurofibromatosis, or the Carney complex. Growth hormone excess leads to gigantism if it occurs during childhood while if it occurs after growth plates had closed it leads to acromegaly.
Marfan Syndrome
This is a rare inherited disorder of connective tissue. This results in improper development of eyes skeleton and cardiovascular system. Both males and females are affected by this disorder and at any time between their early infancy to adulthood. People with this syndrome are excessively tall with long bones that aren’t proportionate to the rest of the body. They also suffer from ocular, cardiac, aortic, and joint abnormalities. The symptoms of Marfan’s syndrome in a person develop slowly over the years. These include long slender bones, fingers and toes, heart defects and a slight displacement of the eye lenses.
Homocystinuria
This syndrome seconds to cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency. Its phenotype is almost like the Marfans Syndrome. It is a hereditary disorder in which the body fails to process certain building blocks provided by proteins (amino acids) properly. There are various forms of homocystinuria, which are characterized by their signs and symptoms and inherited cause. The most common form of homocystinuria is distinguished by shortsightedness (myopia), dislocation of the eye lens, an augmented danger of irregular blood clotting, and fragile bones that are prone to fracture (osteoporosis) or other skeletal deformities. Affected patients grow to have a tall stature, developmental delay and learning problems.
Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome
It is an inherited overgrowth disorder with the capability to affect of systems of our body. It is another rare disease that we can easily misdiagnose because of our lack of knowledge about the syndrome. Clinical symptoms of this disorder include umbilical hernia, enlarged body at birth and postnatal gigantism, neonatal hypoglycemia, earlobe fractures and grooves, craniofacial anomalies, enlarged liver, kidneys and other body organs. It was first recognized by Dr J. Bruce Beckwith, an American pediatric pathologist and Dr H.E. Wiedemann, a German geneticist. Thus, the syndrome got its name from both the doctors.
If you experience any of these syndromes, seeking medical help is recommended.