title: Pituitary gigantism: Causes and clinical characteristics.
abstract: Acromegaly and pituitary gigantism are very rare conditions resulting from excessive secretion of growth hormone (GH), usually by a pituitary adenoma. Pituitary gigantism occurs when GH excess overlaps with the period of rapid linear growth during childhood and adolescence. Until recently, its etiology and clinical characteristics have been poorly understood. Genetic and genomic causes have been identified in recent years that explain about half of cases of pituitary gigantism. We describe these recent discoveries and focus on some important settings in which gigantism can occur, including familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA) and the newly described X-linked acrogigantism (X-LAG) syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, University of Liège, Domaine Universitaire du Sart-Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Liliya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rostomyan
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, University of Liège, Domaine Universitaire du Sart-Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Adrian F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, University of Liège, Domaine Universitaire du Sart-Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: albert.beckers@chu.ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beckers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D041321:Chromosomes, Human, X; D005260:Female; D005359:Fibrous Dysplasia, Polyostotic; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005877:Gigantism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D049912:Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma / Q000150:complications; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018761:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1; D009154:Mutation; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone
keywords: Adénomes hypophysaires familiaux isolés (FIPA); Aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein gene; Familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA); Gigantism; Gigantisme; Syndrome d’acrogigantisme lié au chromosome X (X-LAG); X-linked Acrogigantism (X-LAG) syndrome