Excess growth hormone in an adult who has already stopped growing causes which disorder?
AGigantism
BCretinism
CDwarfism
DAcromegaly
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Acromegaly
1. The disorder depends on whether growth is still possible when the excess appears.
2. In children an excess of growth hormone produces gigantism, with excessive overall growth.
3. In an adult who has stopped growing the same excess thickens the bones of the face, hands and feet, which is acromegaly.
4. Abnormally low growth hormone in childhood gives pituitary dwarfism, and cretinism is a thyroid problem of iodine deficiency.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 17 "The Endocrine System", section 17.3 The Pituitary Gland and Hypothalamus_
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