Relief for Woman Whose Growth Would Not Stop

An American woman who was suffering from a rare hormonal disorder has been at least provided with some relief after undergoing twin surgeries and placed on a combination of drugs.

Las Vegas, Nevada's Tanya Angus was diagnosed with a condition called acromegaly which causes an overproduction of the growth hormone in the body. As a result the 31-year old grew up to almost 7 feet tall and weighs more than 330 pounds.

Angus revealed that she had grown well above 6 feet tall and had a size 12 feet, prompting questions over her sex. "It sounds horrible, but someone at work actually asked me if I used to be a man. I'd started to look so big, it had raised doubts in people's minds about what sex I was", she said.

After undergoing an MRI scan, it was revealed that her brain contained a big tumor that was responsible for overproduction of the growth hormone. While the two surgeries and the medication plan has stopped her growth, Angus revealed that she will remain unusually large for woman and is now looking forward to beat the doctors' prediction that she will die before she completes 40 years.

Source: Medindia

Acromegaly

Acromegaly (Greek-enlargements of the extremities) is a hormonal disorder resulting from excessive production of the growth hormone by the pituitary gland after puberty, often referred as gigantism.

Human Growth Hormone

Encyclopedia section of Medindia gives a preview about Human Growth Hormone (HGH)

Achondroplasia

Achondroplasia is a rare genetic disorder of bone growth that causes short-limbed dwarfism. It occurs due to mutations in a single gene called the FGFR3.