Pregledni rad

https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2024.63.02.15

Gigantism and Acromegaly through History

Maša Malenica orcid.org/0000-0003-4950-9038 ; Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, EpiCARE center, Zagreb, Croatia *
Tena Trbojević orcid.org/0000-0003-3180-7539 ; Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, EpiCARE center, Zagreb, Croatia
Stjepan Herceg orcid.org/0000-0001-9543-4482 ; Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, EpiCARE center, Zagreb, Croatia
Monika Kukuruzović orcid.org/0000-0001-9034-1578 ; Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, EpiCARE center, Zagreb, Croatia
Iva Šeparović orcid.org/0000-0002-6068-4665 ; Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, EpiCARE center, Zagreb, Croatia
Nina Rotim ; student, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Krešimir Rotim ; Department of Neurosurgery, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia

* Dopisni autor.

Sažetak

Giants and acromegalists have long captured attention, and they were often
almost mythical creatures of great strength and power. Due to their expressive appearance, they were
recorded in myths and works of art much earlier than they were of interest to medical practitioners.
The first recognition was made by a Dutch physician Johannes Wier in 1567, but the first description
and appellation originated by Pierre Marie in 1886. Involvement and interest from neurosurgeons
followed, and in 1907, Hermann Schloffer performed the first transsphenoidal surgery in a patient
with pituitary adenoma. In 1909, Harvey Cushing linked removal of the enlarged pituitary gland to
regression of acromegaly and considered ‘growth hormone’ a pathophysiological trigger. Knowledge
of acromegaly has been enhanced by the discovery of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth
factor (IGF-I) and evidence for an association between GH hypersecretion and elevated circulating
IGF-I with the clinical phenotype. After 1970, pharmacotherapy (dopamine agonists, somatostatin
analogs and GH receptor blockers) was introduced. Despite advances in drug therapy and radiotherapy,
surgical treatment still provides optimal results (first-line treatment) after more than a century of
attempts. In this paper, we present gigantism and acromegaly over time, important turning points
from its recognition to the current insights and fundamental approach reminding us of the immense
prosperity of medicine and science. The development of basic sciences and clinical endocrinology will
enable progress and improvement of comprehension in the pathogenesis and diagnostics, as well as
curative modalities.

Ključne riječi

Acromegaly; Gigantism; Growth hormone; History; Pituitary gland; Pituitary tumors

Hrčak ID:

328134

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/328134

Datum izdavanja:

31.10.2025.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

Posjeta: 296 *