More than seven billion people live on our planet. We all belong to the same species (Homo sapiens), we have a similar karyotype. But nature also has glitches. They are manifested in various genetic diseases, one of which is gigantism.
High growth: reasons
What is the cause of gigantism? Those who studied biology well at school may recall that in our body there is iron (the pituitary gland) that produces growth hormone - somatotropin. In patients with gigantism, excessive secretion of this hormone is observed, which leads to excessive growth of the limbs and trunk. Tall people usually suffer from other diseases caused by a disproportionate increase in body parts.
High Growth: Implications
Gigantism does not come alone … A tall man has many more problems than it might seem at first glance. Firstly, the growth of some organs may be ahead of the growth of others, which causes pain. Secondly, excess growth leads to an increase in the load on the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the tallest people on the planet use crutches - it is difficult for them to walk, because their joints hurt (often knees), and their muscles are weakened. Also, patients with gigantism often complain of fatigue, a marked decrease in working capacity, and headaches.
Treatment
Thanks to modern technology, gigantism can be stopped. The methods of its treatment are based on the use of hormonal drugs that inhibit the action of growth hormone, and x-ray therapy. Their combination gives positive results: in the modern world patients with gigantism are much less than, for example, in the twentieth century.
Names and Surnames
Despite the fact that gigantism is a disease, such people willingly or not become famous. At the moment, the nomination of the Guinness Book of Records "The tallest man in the world" belongs to Sultan Kosen. He received this title in 2009: then his growth was 247 centimeters. He overtook his predecessor by as much as 11 centimeters (previously this page of the book was occupied by Bao Xishun with a height of 236 centimeters)! After repeated measurements in 2011, it turned out that Sultan Kosen continued to grow. So, his new record was 251 centimeters. He was involved in basketball, but he had to abandon the sport, as he started having problems with his legs. To the questions of the interviewers, he replies that he sees a lot of advantages in his growth. For example, the Sultan can easily change bulbs in chandeliers or collect fruits from tall trees in the garden.
In fact, Sultan Kosen is not the tallest man on the planet. Leonid Stadnyuk, Ukrainian, has a height of 257 centimeters. Incredibly, in the class he was the smallest and sat at the first desk. Rapid growth began after surgery: the doctors removed his tumor, but touched the pituitary gland. Leonid graduated from high school and university, worked as a veterinarian. But he had to quit: he claims that the animals were afraid of his great growth. Like many tall people, Leonid Stadnyuk had difficulty finding shoes. Once, because of this, he even froze his legs. Leonid passed away in 2014.
The list of "giants" can include Russian Nikolai Pankratov. His height is 235 centimeters, which gives him a lot of inconvenience. A large load on the knee joint can lead to complete immobilization.
Back to the 20th Century
So who are the tallest people in history? Undoubtedly, the first on this list will be Robert Wadlow. He was born in 1918 in America. According to written sources, his growth is an absolute record, no one else achieved. Already at the age of four, Robert began to grow rapidly. At eight years old, he was 188 cm tall, at eighteen years old - 254 cm. Like other tall people, Wadlow suffered from leg diseases and needed crutches. Actually, it was they who led the young man to death. In 1940, he rubbed his leg with a crutch. An infection got into the wound, sepsis began. July 15 Robert Wadlow passed away. At the time of death, he weighed 199 kilograms with an increase of 272 centimeters.
The next in the list of champions is Chinese Zheng Zhinlyan. Already at four years old she was growth from an adult - 153 centimeters! Due to the very fast and disproportionate growth of various parts of the body, Zheng suffered from severe scoliosis and could not stand upright. The girl died in 1982, at seventeen, with an increase of 248.3 centimeters.
Fancy couple
Anna Swan is one of the tallest women in history. According to unconfirmed reports, her growth was 242 centimeters. Anna was born in 1846 and almost immediately began to grow rapidly. By the age of six, her growth reached 163 centimeters, and by 18 years - 225 centimeters!
It was difficult for her to settle in life. No one wanted to hire her. In the end, she had to agree to participate in circus performances. The circus often burned down, and once the girl almost died. After that, she left the show and went on a trip to Europe in the hope of finding people like her.
She's lucky. She met Martin Bates, who was almost as tall. About a year later, they decided to get married. The young couple attracted the attention of all of Europe: even members of the royal families carefully watched their lives.
After some time, a child appears in their family! He was very large - weighed 9 kilograms with an increase of 70 centimeters! Unfortunately, almost immediately after birth, he died. But after a few years, Anna became pregnant again. The child was so big that he could not go out on his own, and since there was no modern technology then, he had to be pulled out with forceps. Of course, the child died from such treatment. His height was 85 cm, and weight - 12 kg!
The heroine herself died in 1888.
