- Title: COLOMBIA: Rare case of gigantism attracts attention
- Date: 17th June 2009
- Summary: BUITRAGO HOLDING REMOTE CONTROL
- Embargoed: 2nd July 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Colombia
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Health
- Reuters ID: LVAAXTS39MPX1IA2FCYRNS2Q97YU
- Story Text: For one Colombian man, a height of more than two meters has meant 23 years of solitude.
Rodrigo Buitrago, a 23-year old native of Dosquebradas, a town in the Colombian department of Risaralda located some 180 kms to the west of Bogota, is waiting for a surgery to cure his acromegaly, a form of hormonal gigantism he suffers from.
He now measures a full 2.15 meters, or a little over seven feet, a height that has forced his family to move to roughly a dozen new houses over his lifetime as he has outgrown their old ones.
His mother says the situation became noticeable almost a decade ago, when health concerns mitigated any excitement over a potential professional basketball career.
"He used to play like a normal kid. When he turned 15 he began to grow, and from 15 to 18 he grew quite a lot, so I took him to the doctor because he was suffering leg cramps and headaches. The doctors ordered examinations and x-rays of his legs. After that they ordered a brain scan and that was when they found out his disease," the Colombian's mother, Luz Mary Betancur, said.
Unable to gather the adequate funds needed for medical help, Buitrago's family didn't consult health officials until 2007, and the state has since agreed to help finance treatment.
The exams have confirmed a case acromegaly, a condition which is caused by excessive production of human growth hormone (GH) by the pituitary gland located in the brain.
It's most commonly caused by the presence of a benign tumor in the pituitary.
According to acromegaly experts, roughly 40 to 70 adults out of 100,000 suffer from acromegaly.
The condition can appear at any age.
In addition to causing the body to grow, acromegaly is also characterized by an elongation of limbs, expansion of internal organs and a quickening of heart rate, among other symptoms.
Left to its own devices, the condition can bring on diabetes, paralysis and heart and kidney failure.
Speaking to Reuters, Buitrago spoke of the potential dangers of untreated acromegaly.
"Well, if I continue growing I could go blind, I could go blind and even die. After the operation I´ll stop growing and everything will be normal," he said.
His health condition forced Buitrago to leave school in sixth grade, and has made him a figure of wonderment in his hometown.
He has even appeared on the front page of national newspapers.
At 18 years old, his height had already eclipsed 1.85 meters, and Buitrago has shown no signs of slowing down.
To address the unchecked growth and its potentially fatal consequences, local doctors have decided to intervene via invasive surgery scheduled for the end of June.
"The child suffers from acromegaly, or gigantism. And that diagnosis is based on examinations showing the growth of a tumor in the pituitary gland - which is a gland that produces many hormones including human growth hormone. And when this occurs in children it causes the individual to grow," said Buitrago's doctor, Fernando Perez Rincon, a pediatric endocrinologist.
To address the adjustment, Buitrago will also undergo physical and psychological treatment after the surgery is completed to correct his pituitary gland.
Having long been marginalized by his abnormal height, Buitrago has expressed excitement over reentering society to study engineering.
He has also said he is looking forward to not constantly outgrowing his bed. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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