What is Gigantism?

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - The tallest man in the world suffers from it, as did actor-wrestler Andre the Giant. The disease that caused these men to grow to great heights is called gigantism.

A 14-year-old Brazilian girl who is six-foot nine-inches tall likely has the disease and has recently been in the news. Elisany Silva has vowed to become a model despite potential health problems from her soaring height, according to The Daily Mail .

Gigantism is unusually massive growth from too much growth hormone during childhood, prior to a child's bone growth plates closing. The consequence is extreme height, large organs and health issues such blurred vision, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine .

Gigantism, also known as acromegaly, is caused by a pituitary gland tumor, usually benign, Scientific American reported.

Daniel Kelley, medical director of the Neuro-Endocrine Tumor Center at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., told Scientific American , "About one in 20 people will have an abnormality in their pituitary gland ’. And based on some recent demographic studies, about one in 1,000 people probably have a symptomatic pituitary adenoma [benign tumor]. So, a subset of those ’ maybe 10 percent would have acromegaly, but it's hard to know."

There is no cure for gigantism, but it can be treated in a variety of ways. The most common treatment being surgery when the tumor is well defined, the National Library of Medicine explained. When surgery can't be performed, radiation and medication is used to stop the growth hormone.

The Guinness World Records' tallest man, Sultan Kosen, is 8-foot-2 , according to their website.

The 27-year-old recently had a Gamma Knife radio surgery treatment last month to slow down his gigantism. The surgery will help to reduce his growth, but doctors believe results will not be seen for a few months.

TLC filmed a documentary on Kosen's life and journey to Virginia where the surgery was performed.