Description:
At heights of 7 feet, even 8 feet plus, giants really do walk the earth. We'll use cutting edge animation to go inside the extraordinary bodies of giants to unlock the secrets of their unique design and the multiple causes of their astounding height.
Igor Vovkovinsky is, by any measure, monumental. This 24-year old immigrant from the Ukraine stands a whopping 7 feet 8 inches tall. Igor came to America in search of help to stop his incredible growth. The doctors soon found that Igor has pituitary gigantism, a condition usually caused by a benign tumor on the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain behind the eyes. We
At heights of 7 feet, even 8 feet plus, giants really do walk the earth. We'll use cutting edge animation to go inside the extraordinary bodies of giants to unlock the secrets of their unique design and the multiple causes of their astounding height.
Igor Vovkovinsky is, by any measure, monumental. This 24-year old immigrant from the Ukraine stands a whopping 7 feet 8 inches tall. Igor came to America in search of help to stop his incredible growth. The doctors soon found that Igor has pituitary gigantism, a condition usually caused by a benign tumor on the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain behind the eyes. We go inside Igor's extraordinarily large body and compare it to an average size man to see just how this "master gland" controls height through the release of Human Growth Hormone or HGH.
We'll also meet Sandy Allen, a 51-year old who holds the Guinness Book of World Records' title as the tallest living woman. Sandy is 7 feet, 7¼ inches tall, and has acromegalic gigantism. Though she stopped growing taller long ago, the continued surge of growth hormone associated with acromegaly has restructured her body in distinct and often painful ways. We leap inside her massive skeleton to see how growth hormone produces prominent brow ridges, thick jaws and enormous hands and feet that are out of proportion with the rest of the body. And it's not just the skeleton that is affected by a giant's incredible growth. Sandy's internal organs are twice the size of those of average people but that doesn't mean they work twice as well. From heart and lungs, to vocal chords, to the way their nerves deliver signals, we see how giant bodies are not necessarily giant performers.
We'll also meet 7 feet, 3¾ inch tall, Dave Rasmussen, an IT professional and amateur musician. Dave's form of gigantism is not caused by a tumor. Dave has a rare genetic syndrome called MASS Phenotype, which sometimes results in gigantic stature. Inside Dave's body, we see that this syndrome produces a much different type of giant from Igor or Sandy. Dave is exceptionally lean, with a narrow skull and arms and legs that appear disproportionately long for his trunk.
Although scientists are looking to find ways to prevent pituitary tumors, early detection and removal are still the best method to limiting final adult height and avoiding the sometimes life-threatening medical conditions associated with gigantism. But for pituitary giants who have already reached their full, breathtaking height, there is no turning back. Currently, there is also nothing that will prevent genetic forms of gigantism. So, for now, there will continue to be giants in the world, living life on a higher plane.
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Release date: 1 September 2007
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