The Giant of Tripoli: The Case of Late Recognition and Management of an Extreme Acromegalic Gigantism in Resource-Poor Settings

Abstract

Background There are a few studies from the Middle East and North Africa. Several notable cases of acromegaly and giantism in the west found their way to public life and media.

Case History One of the cases is discussed in this article. The case lived between 1943 and 1991. He was one of few individuals in medical history to reach or surpass 8 feet in height. In the 1960s, he reportedly underwent repeated (perhaps 4) pituitary surgery at 17 in Rome, Italy, to halt his growth. A few photos and one short video clip in Italian demonstrate his physical features. He was one of the tallest basketball players ever at 245 cm, though when he featured as a basketball player, he was closer to 239 cm and played for Libya. He was a medical anomaly and the eighteenth tallest person in the history of the world. He was also credited with being the tallest actor in history by appearing in a single Italian fantasy drama movie in 1969. He died in 1991 due to heart disease.

Conclusion The case presented in this vignette is depicted in the public domain and is imprinted in the folk memory of the residents of Tripoli, Libya. However, due to its uniqueness, it deserves a place in the regional medical literature.

Keywords

history of medicine - acromegaly - gigantism - Tripoli - Libya - Middle East - North Africa

Credit

The figures are widely disseminated in open access public domain websites.

Author's Contributions

Single author responsible for all aspects of the article.

Compliance with Ethical Principles

Ethical approval is not required. All photographic materials are available in the public domain. The case is reported anonymously.

Publication History

Article published online:
23 January 2023

• References

• 1 Eugster E. Gigantism. In: Feingold KR, Anawalt B, Boyce A, Chrousos G, de Herder WW, Dhatariya K, et al. eds. Endotext. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000
• 2 de Herder WW. Acromegaly and gigantism in the medical literature. Case descriptions in the era before and the early years after the initial publication of Pierre Marie (1886). Pituitary 2009; 12 (03) 236-244
• 3 de Herder WW. The history of acromegaly. Neuroendocrinology 2016; 103 (01) 7-17
• 4 Sheaves R. A history of acromegaly. Pituitary 1999; 2 (01) 7-28
• 5 Boguszewski CL, Boguszewski MCDS, de Herder WW. From dwarves to giants: South American's contribution to the history of growth hormone and related disorders. Growth Horm IGF Res 2020; 50: 48-56
• 6 Chentli F, Azzoug S, Amani MelA. et al. Etiologies and clinical presentation of gigantism in Algeria. Horm Res Paediatr 2012; 77 (03) 152-155
• 7 Patt HP, Bothra N, Goel AH. et al. Pituitary gigantism–experience of a single center from western India. Endocr Pract 2015; 21 (06) 621-628
• 8 Viljoen D, Weber FA, Beighton P. Gigantism: the tallest man in the world. Dysmorphol Clin Genet 1989; 3: 65-69
• 9 Daly AF, Yuan B, Fina F. et al. Somatic mosaicism underlies X-linked acrogigantism syndrome in sporadic male subjects. Endocr Relat Cancer 2016; 23 (04) 221-233
• 10 Beshyah S. Tomaso Casoni (1880-1933): a pioneer remembered. Libyan J Med 2008; 3 (04) 197-199
• 11 Sherif IH, Vanderley CM, Beshyah S, Bosairi S. Sella size and contents in Sheehan's syndrome. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1989; 30 (06) 613-618
• 12 Rao GM. Diabetes mellitus in Libya: a retrospective study. Indian J Med Sci 1992; 46 (06) 174-181
• 13 Kadiki OA, Gerryo SE, Khan MM. Diabetes mellitus in Benghazi. J Trop Med Hyg 1988; 91 (01) 19-22