History of the identification of gigantism and acromegaly

Giants have always been a source of fascination, not only for the scientific community but also in the general population. Early medical reports included clear cases of acromegaly and acrogigantism. Pierre Marie used the term “acromegaly” for the first time in 1886 and linked it to a disease with characteristic clinical symptoms. In this chapter, the evolution of the knowledge of acromegaly is presented. Clinical description of individual cases and series of patients made aware of deformation and destruction of the sella, pituitary enlargement, and the presence of pituitary adenoma in acromegaly. Subsequently, the pituitary origin of acromegaly was suspected and supported by histopathological findings. Meanwhile, the etiopathological relation between acromegaly and gigantism was revealed. Indeed, a scientific breakthrough in the study of acromegaly and gigantism occurred during the 20th century when pituitary hormones and their metabolic effects were discovered. Further studies led to the understanding of the molecular basis and the pathophysiology of acromegaly and improved the management of the disease in different subpopulations of the patients.